Students endure makeshift rooms due to ‘unfinished’ school building in Silang

Silang Mayor Kevin Amutan Anarna lamented the use of makeshift classrooms at a public elementary school in the town due to a building project that has been supposedly abandoned by its contractor.

Due to the “unfinished” school building, some students of Lucsuhin Elementary School were seen holding umbrellas to protect themselves from rain water as they attended classes at a basketball court.

“We must stop electing corrupt politicians so this will never happen again,” a frustrated Mayor Anarna wrote in a Facebook post last October 6.

Mayor Anarna said the three-story school building project costs P37 million.

“Illegal na nagawan ng paraan na mabayaran ang contractor kahit malayo pa na matapos ito,” he alleged.

Photos courtesy of Mayor Kevin Anarna’s official Facebook page:

The construction of another school building intended for Special Education (SpEd) students was also supposedly not completed according to the mayor.

“Hinihintay nalang natin ang opisyal na report ng Special Technical Audit Team ng Commission on Audit tungkol sa paaralan na hindi natapos pero nabayaran ng buo,” said Anarna.

“Maisasampa na natin ang kaukulang kaso sa mga taong ganid, mapagsamantala at nagpapahirap sa ating kababayan.”

Face-to-face classes in most schools resumed in August for the first time in more than two years since the COVID-19 pandemic caused an abrupt shift to distance learning.

[READ: Filipino students back in school after 2 years of distance learning]

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said the successful return of millions of students to in-person classes was her best accomplishment in her first 100 days in office.

The Philippines was one of the last few countries to transition back to face-to-face learning instruction after having enforced one of the world’s longest lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thumbnail photo courtesy of Mayor Kevin Anarna’s official Facebook page