DepEd urges Western Visayas schools to fund go bags

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Department of Education Western Visayas (DepEd-6) has directed schools division offices (SDOs) in the region to use their disaster funds to provide emergency “go bags” for all learners and personnel.

DepEd-6 information officer Hernani Escullar Jr. said the regional office issued a memorandum on Monday advising SDOs to utilize their 2024 and 2025 Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) funds for emergency preparedness measures.

“It is a way to ensure that our facilities are secure, that our learners and personnel are safe once we have in-person classes because we felt tremors for the past few weeks,” he said.

He said the memorandum does not prescribe a uniform set of items for the emergency kits, noting that the contents will depend on each division’s available budget and will be determined by their respective DRRM focal persons.

Data from DepEd-6 show that the region has 964,067 public school learners and about 47,000 teaching personnel.

Escullar acknowledged that procuring emergency kits for all learners and staff would be costly.

He said divisions with insufficient funds may seek support from local government units, nongovernment organizations and private donors.

“This is a big undertaking […] That is why we are not enforcing strict guidelines on the go bags. It will depend on the division offices,” he added.

DepEd’s DRRM funds are typically used for disaster preparedness activities, as well as for reconstruction and major repairs after calamities.

As background, these funds are annually earmarked to support preparedness, response and recovery efforts consistent with national disaster risk reduction policies.

Aside from emergency kits, the memorandum also directed SDOs to coordinate with the Department of Public Works and Highways for joint inspections of school facilities.

“This will somehow provide data and will pave the way for prioritization for repair, retrofitting, and reconstruction works. If we do not have enough budget, we will lobby with the Central Office,” Escullar said.

Initial, unvalidated reports received by DepEd-6 showed minor cracks in some school buildings, but Escullar said assessments so far indicate they remain safe for use.

He said the consolidated report from school divisions must be submitted to the regional office on or before Oct. 17.