Under the Department of Education (DepEd) Basic Education Facilities Fund (BEFF), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region VIII accomplished a total of 1,156 new school buildings projects in Eastern Visayas.
Out of 1,504 school buildings targeted to be constructed in the six provinces of the region, 348 are still on-going and 114 suffered construction delays.
According to DPWH Regional Director Edgar B. Tabacon, the delays in construction were due to some sites failing to pass the subsurface oil exploration survey, which led to cost adjustment and search for alternative sites.
“Some sites failed the subsurface soil exploration survey while some needs more funding for foundation due to varied soil strata. Although our goal is to rush the completion of classrooms, we have to make sure that these building are erected on stable soil,” he added.
The construction of new school buildings is expected to alleviate classroom shortage for the in the region for the full implementation of the K-12 program of the national government.