BOLINAO–Classes went on as scheduled in areas devastated by Typhoon Emong, but students had to bear worse conditions as continuous rains last week poured down their makeshift school rooms, mainly tents or damaged classrooms covered with temporary roofing materials.

Mayor Alfonso Celeste, who proposed to postpone the opening of classes in his town, lamented the students’ situation and criticized the local Department of Education’s (DepEd) decision to push through with the original June 1 schedule despite the severe damages that the schools suffered.

“They went on with the school opening and the teachers were left to improvise with makeshift structures,” Celeste told The PUNCH.

DepEd reportedly provided an average of P30,000 per damaged school for repairs while the municipal government extended P20,000 per school.

However, Celeste said the combined amount is barely enough considering the extent of the damages; some schools had most of their roofs blown away by the typhoon that hit western Pangasinan.

Meanwhile 1st District Board Member Alicia Pulido echoed the same sentiments for her hometown Anda, where her husband Nestor is the incumbent mayor.

“Our funds were not enough to rebuild the damaged schools,” she told The PUNCH in a separate interview.

Some churches and chapels are being temporarily used as classrooms for pupils of severely damaged schools.

“I am continuously soliciting help from our friends to help our constituents,” she said.

In Bani, Mayor Marcelo Navarro Jr. expressed similar concerns and complained that all that his town can do was to distribute tarpaulins to the schools to be used as their temporary roofs.#

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