DepEd sets classroom clearing ops as habagat disrupts 8M learners

The Department of Education (DepEd) has announced the expansion of its Adopt-A-School Program (ASP) to better meet the growing demand for school safety initiatives, particularly in light of recent challenges posed by extreme weather conditions. On Tuesday, the DepEd conducted a roadshow in Mindanao as part of its 2026 ASP Caravan, aimed at engaging private sector partners in supporting school infrastructure improvements. This initiative follows a successful launch in Bacolod City for the Visayas region, marking a nationwide effort to enhance student safety through strategic collaborations. The ASP Caravan introduced a new School Safety Package on the recently launched ASP digital platform microsite, enabling corporate sponsors, civic organizations, and private donors to contribute to critical safety projects. These include the installation of perimeter fences, CCTV cameras, metal detectors, security personnel, and public address systems. The platform also facilitates transparent project matching, digital pledge tracking, and streamlined access to tax incentives under Republic Act No. 8525 and BIR Revenue Regulation No. 13-2025. Education Secretary Sonny Angara highlighted the importance of these efforts, stating that under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s leadership, strategic partnerships are being established to directly address real-world needs. He emphasized that the goal extends beyond providing supplies to ensuring that learners' environments are both safe and well-maintained. The expanded ASP menu aligns with DepEd’s 5-Point Reform Agenda and incorporates recommendations from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2). The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) also contributed their investment proposals to foster collaboration across different levels of education. In addition to school safety, the ASP Caravan showcased other priority projects such as classroom construction and senior high school work immersion programs. Other available packages focus on improving school facilities, supporting teachers, implementing school feeding programs, and enhancing learning resources. The ASP platform aims to shift from traditional charitable donations to more structured and impactful investments, ensuring that each contribution directly contributes to protecting children or empowering educators. Meanwhile, DepEd has also taken urgent action to address the impact of the southwest monsoon (habagat), intensified by Tropical Cyclone Maymay. As of August 14, the storm has affected eight regions across 73 DepEd divisions, disrupting the daily activities of approximately 8.4 million learners and 365,308 staff members. Over 12,477 public schools have suspended in-person classes, leading to significant operational challenges. Angara reiterated that the safety of students, teachers, and personnel remains the highest priority, but the department is working swiftly to reduce learning loss and restore damaged infrastructure. To facilitate this, the DepEd Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service (DRRMS) has begun processing an initial recovery fund of P19.14 million. This funding supports cleanup and clearance operations for 1,244 affected schools and minor repairs for 4,259 classrooms with structural damage. Field reports indicate that 230 public schools are currently serving as primary evacuation centers, accommodating 6,840 families across 837 classrooms. Overall infrastructure damage includes 1,423 classrooms with major damage and 1,395 completely destroyed classrooms. Non-infrastructure losses include 16,981 learning materials, 11,151 school chairs, and 579 units of IT equipment. DepEd is coordinating closely with local government units and regional disaster management councils to monitor weather updates, deploy resources efficiently, and oversee local school clearances. For schools where physical access remains unsafe or where classrooms are used as evacuation sites, authorities have approved the implementation of alternative learning delivery methods to ensure educational continuity.