The Department of Education (DepEd) reported that heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon (habagat) have damaged a total of 2,424 classrooms across the country.
An initial assessment by the DepEd Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service (DRRMS) revealed that 403 classrooms were destroyed, 505 sustained major damage, and 1,516 suffered minor structural impacts. Regional and Schools Division Offices are actively validating these figures to prioritize high-need areas for immediate cleanup and repair.
To accelerate school rehabilitation, DepEd is partnering with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) through the TUPAD-Brigada Eskwela initiative. The collaboration provides emergency labor to restore affected campuses while offering temporary livelihoods to local workers.
“Ito ang tunay na diwa ng bayanihan, nagbibigay tayo ng pangkabuhayan sa ating mga manggagawa habang tinitiyak na ligtas at handa ang ating mga paaralan,” said Education Secretary Sonny Angara, expressing gratitude to DOLE and the Office of the Executive Secretary for their operational support.
As of July 30, 2026, the joint program had deployed 168,517 temporary workers across 9,186 public schools nationwide and disbursed P1.07 billion in financial assistance for school-opening preparations.
Angara emphasized that the emergency labor support will significantly speed up recovery efforts. “Ngayong hinaharap natin ang pinsala ng habagat, muli tayong nagpapasalamat sa DOLE sa kanilang mabilis na pagtugon. Sa tulong ng ating emergency labor augmentation, mas mabilis nating malilinis at maipapaayos ang ating mga silid-aralan upang maiwasan ang anumang abala sa pag-aaral ng ating mga kabataan,” he added.