HERNANI, Eastern Samar – Gone are the days when public school teacher Paulina Duran had to worry about tsunami and storm surge warning following the completion of a new school building in a new location.
Duran, head of the academics department of Pedro E. Candido Memorial High School, this town, said only strong typhoons will disrupt classes now that the new campus was established in a hill in Barangay Nagaja from a coastal village within the town proper. “Back in a day, we always suspend classes whenever there is tsunami alert and even signal number one typhoon for fear of rising seas,” Duran recalled.
For her, the new school buildings donated by private companies is a sign of hope after storm surges generated by supertyphoon “Yolanda” swept away the entire campus located at the town center. The killer typhoon also claimed the lives of three students. Last month, SM Foundation partners Global Hope International, TtoKamsa Mission Church, and Forever 21 turned over the two buildings with 20 classrooms to the school officials after nine months of construction.
The school named after the late town mayor has been moved to a one hectare property uphill donated by Candido family. Candido’s son Amado, a former town vice mayor and current school’s disbursing officer, made the development plan presented to donors With enrollees from 13 villages of Hernani and nearby villages of Llorente and General Macarthur towns, the school has more than 800 learners and 36 teachers.
Prior to the completion of new classrooms, classes were held in temporary learning spaces and old bunkhouses. The school also asked the Department of Education to build other facilities in the new campus. (SARWELL Q.MENIANO)
