Cordillera teachers union demands accountability over damaged schools

BAGUIO CITY-- The Alliance of Concerned Teachers Cordillera (ACT CAR) is demanding immediate government action, financial assistance, and moreover, accountability over the extensive damage inflicted upon schools and communities across the region by Super Typhoon "Uwan".

The group also specifically called on the national government and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) to provide immediate Php 20,000 cash assistance to all affected teachers, personnel, and pensioners.

The alliance is calling for the immediate and comprehensive rehabilitation of damaged school facilities to safeguard the welfare of both teachers and students.

Reports from across the Cordillera region reveal extensive destruction, with many schools rendered unsafe due to flooded classrooms, collapsed roofs, and damaged learning materials and equipment.

According to data from the Department of Education (DepEd) Cordillera, the recent super typhoon affected 200 classrooms—16 completely destroyed, 45 heavily damaged, and 123 sustaining minor damage. In Kalinga, 12 schools were hit by flooding and landslides, including several classrooms in Lubo, Tanudan that were completely washed away.

Aside from instructional spaces, essential facilities such as Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) systems, chairs, and IT equipment were also ruined. Moreover, a number of schools are now being used as evacuation centers for displaced families.

The ACT Cordillera chapter urged the creation of a comprehensive post-disaster response plan for the education sector. This plan, they said, must include financial assistance and compensation for affected teachers, transparent allocation of rehabilitation funds, and long-term infrastructure planning to ensure climate- and disaster-resilient schools.

More than simply calling for “resilience,” ACT CAR is demanding accountability, criticizing the government for its lack of disaster preparedness and insufficient post-disaster rehabilitation efforts.

The group stressed that the cycle of destruction after every calamity must end, urging the government to hold corrupt officials accountable for substandard school structures and failed flood-control and rocknetting projects that have worsened the hazardous conditions in the region.