Oroquieta school remains unused over safety concerns

Three grade levels hold classes on the ground floor of Bolibol Barangay Hall, with plywood separating the cohorts of learners. Photo by Shirlyn Prieto.

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Over a week after the start of classes in public school, some 100 students are still holding classes in makeshift classrooms in Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental, after their parents and teachers declined to use a new two-story, six-classroom school building due to safety concerns.

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Teachers and parents of students from Vicente Enerio Memorial Elementary School (VEMES) in Barangay Bolibol agreed to refrain from using the structure despite assurances from the province’s 1st Engineering District Office that it is safe for occupancy.

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They said it has yet to be officially cleared for occupancy, compounded by fears following recent earthquakes.

READ: Phivolcs: Over 6,100 aftershocks after magnitude 7.8 Mindanao quake

READ: Phivolcs: Ground deformation observed in parts of Sarangani, GenSan

The opening of public school classes in Mindanao on June 8 was disrupted by a powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake.

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“We prioritize the safety of our pupils,” VEMES head Glendyl Vicente said, pointing out that the new school building is still undergoing “finishing touches.”

The situation would also be unhealthy and unsanitary, she added.

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The Grade 6, Grade 3, and Grade 2 learners hold classes at the barangay hall, separated by plywood dividers.

VEMES, the 51st public school under the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Oroquieta City Schools Division, was established three decades ago. It would have used the new school building had it been completed last school year.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 1st Engineering District Office awarded the project, funded under the 2024 General Appropriations Act, to Tangub City-based contractor SGM Construction.

Construction of the new school building started on July 15, 2024, and was completed on February 26, 2025, according to the project’s billboard.

However, the P21.4-million two-level structure had not been turned over to the DepEd Oroquieta City Schools Division Office for still unknown reasons.

“As teachers, we step into June with a familiar spark, a glow of eagerness to shape the future of our dear Orotreasures (learners from Oroquieta). But this year, that spark was instantly snuffed out by a harsh, heartbreaking reality: the classrooms meant to house these dreams are still not ready,” VEMES master teacher Shirlyn Prieto posted on social media two weeks ago.

Prieto’s post caught the attention of DPWH Region 10, which instructed its field engineers to address the concern with urgency due to the opening of classes on June 8.

Jaymaica Maraguinot, acting head of DPWH-10 regional public affairs and information office, said priorities included the construction of two functional comfort rooms and ensuring that the six classrooms were “ready, safe, and occupiable by the start of classes.”

Classes may already be held in the classrooms while “the remaining correction works are ongoing to ensure that quality standards and project requirements are properly met,” she said, echoing the assurances of DPWH resident and project engineers.

The VEMES Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) decided to wait until the building is properly turned over.

School principal Vicente agreed with the PTA’s position that classes would only be held once the building is fully completed and formally turned over.

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Formal turnover of the new school building is tentatively set for July 31. /mcm