Seawalls and School Classrooms

Seawalls are an important defense against storm surges. They prevent flooding and save lives. Walling off the entire Philippine coast is not feasible of course. However there are seawalls throughout the country. One of those seawalls was recently damaged in during a tropical storm. President Marcos has assured the wall's reconstruction will be expedited. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1237510

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Sunday said the government will expedite the reconstruction of the damaged seawall in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte to protect communities from storm surges and flooding.

Marcos made the announcement during the aid distribution of over PHP70 million in livelihood and financial assistance for thousands affected by Typhoon Marce at Pagudpud Cultural and Sports Complex.

Following his inspection of the damaged seawall, Marcos said the plans for its reconstruction were already in place and progressing swiftly.

"Good thing, that seawall is in process, it's already being built," he said.

 "It will be bid out in two weeks? Three weeks? The project is already up for bidding, so it will proceed quickly. We won't go through the process of finding funds, appropriating, and we're actually doing it, so we'll just continue with it," he said.

He said the construction of the elevated road near the seawall would also be prioritized to enhance the area's resilience.

"If you see, there is already a road -- there is something like a seawall but the new one has a road on top. And that's what we will continue with," he said.

Marcos also inspected classrooms of damaged by Marce and coordinated with the Department of Education to expedite repairs, ensuring students can return to school as soon as possible.

“We are looking for a way to fix it quickly so the kids can return [to schools]," he said, noting that alternative learning spaces were established to serve as temporary classrooms for the students.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that 9,340 individuals, or 2,903 families, were affected by Marce in Ilocos Norte. A total of 540 families or 1,635 individuals are in evacuation centers.

But how long will it take to rebuild? Years??

The seawall in Leyte has been under construction for 9 years and is only 64% complete.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1237375

After nine years of construction, the Leyte tide embankment project designed to shield coastal communities from big waves is 64 percent complete, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported on Friday.

DPWH 8 (Eastern Visayas) Director Edgar Tabacon admitted that building the 38.12-km. storm surge protection from this city to Tanauan town continues to be a challenge 11 years after Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) struck the region.

“Since the start of construction in 2016, we have been addressing several issues. We are a democratic country and we cannot ignore oppositions but we will try our best to complete this project within the term of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.,” Tabacon said in a phone interview.

The project completion date depends on the available funds downloaded by the central government, he said.

Of the estimated PHP12.17 billion required budget, PHP9 billion has been released from 2016 until this year for the 19-km. flood mitigation structure and a 5.43-km. backwater dike.

As of the end of October, the DPWH reported completing 19.51 km. of the 38.64 km. of structures, while construction of 5.52 km. is ongoing and work has yet to begin for 13.6 km.

The project covers the construction of 22.63 km. of flood mitigation structure and 16 km. of backwater dike structure.

The flood mitigation structure aims to protect communities in this city and the nearby towns of Palo and Tanauan from destructive waves. It has stainless steel flap gates and river gates with actuators.

It also has a bike lane with railings, ramps, and streetlights.

“From San Juanico Bridge to downtown, the embankment will also be a parallel highway to address traffic congestion from the city to the Samar area. We still have to coordinate with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for environmental consideration and hold a series of public consultations,” Tabacon added.

The project stretches from Diit village here to Cabuynan village in Tanauan town, aiming to protect 33,000 residents from big waves based on a 50-year projected population.

Sections 1 to 3 are in the northern part of this city to downtown areas, Section 4 is from the San Jose district in this city to the Palo town boundary, Section 5 is in areas of Palo and Tanauan, and Section 6 is in Tanauan town.

In most sections, the four-meter-wide structure has a bay walk and bicycle lane.

The project, built 30 meters from the shoreline, will protect 33.7 square meters of properties and 33,185 houses and buildings.

Building the four-meter-high structure came after the 2013 storm surges whipped by Yolanda’s fierce winds wiped out neighborhoods in Leyte province.

This story is ridiculous. Everyone still talks about the horrors of Super typhoon Yolanda which caused much devastation. This wall was implemented to prevent such destruction from happening again yet after 9 years it is only 64% complete. It requires 12 billion pesos but only 9 billion has been released. Why isn't there a fund dedicated to constructing this wall?

9 years with only 64% constructed means it will take another 5 to 6 years to finish. Meanwhile tropical storms come and go and the citizens of Leyte are at the mercy of the national budget. Why hasn't the project been completed sooner? Perhaps the government doesn't care as much as they claim.

Even worse than the story of this seawall is students in Leyte are still suffering the consequences of Yolanda. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/11/11/leyte-school-still-using-temporary-learning-spaces

Eleven years after Typhoon "Yolanda" ravaged the Philippines, a school in Leyte continues to rely on temporary learning spaces, highlighting the disaster's long-term impact on the region’s educational infrastructure.

On Monday, Nov. 11, the Department of Education (DepEd), led by Secretary Sonny Angara, visited schools in Leyte to assess the implementation of digitalization programs and identify gaps in facilities.

DepEd visited St. Francis Elementary School, which was severely affected by Typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

Despite various recovery initiatives, some schools continue to face significant challenges in rebuilding, leaving students and educators to make do with makeshift classrooms.

"The school is currently experiencing gaps in facilities and classrooms, as it is housing 547 learners in Temporary Learning Spaces," DepEd said.

Angara, along with the agency’s Executive and Management Committee members, monitored schools in Leyte as part of DepEd’s ongoing efforts to address challenges on the ground.

11 years later and some schools are still using makeshift classrooms. That is absolutely shameful. What is really going on in Leyte? Where are the funds to rebuild? It is mind boggling that after 11 years Leyte has yet to recover from Yolanda.