Gov’t builds 60 rooms in QC school

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Wednesday inspected newly reconstructed facilities at San Francisco High School in Quezon City (QC), replacing buildings nearly condemned after a fire a year ago.

The project — completed in eight months — expanded the school’s original two-storey, 10-classroom layout into a four-story complex with 60 classrooms to address shortages for its 6,800 learners, according to Mr. Marcos.

“Originally these were two storeys. But I told them to make it four because it was possible,” he told reporters in Filipino during the site visit, alongside Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” M. Angara, Public Works Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon, Quezon City Mayor Ma. Josefina “Joy” G. Belmonte, and SM Supermalls President Steven T. Tan.

Mr. Marcos described the swift completion as a benchmark for government efficiency, saying it shows what can be achieved when “money goes to the project, not into people’s pockets.”

He added that the new buildings are equipped with integrated sprinkler systems and designed to withstand earthquakes. The expanded capacity has also allowed the school to end double-shift classes.

The reconstruction was undertaken through the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Education, and the Quezon City government. The expansion includes the 36-classroom Dao Building, built by the DPWH, and the 24-classroom Henry Sy Sr. Hall, funded by SM Supermalls. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking