Cebu City South District Representative, Congressman Edu Rama, championed the development of the Philippines’ first 12-story public school building in Cebu City, ensuring its place as a historic milestone and a lasting legacy for all Cebuanos.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the country’s first 12-story academic public school building took place at Don Vicente Rama Memorial National High School in Barangay Basak San Nicolas on Thursday, January 30.
“Garbo kaayo ni nato nga mga Sugbuanon nga ang labing unang medium-rise public school building, 12-story with elevator ni ha, sa tibuok Pilipinas, gisugdan og tukod dinhi sa Sugbo (We Cebuanos take great pride that the first medium-rise public school building – a 12-story structure with elevators – in the entire Philippines will be built here in Cebu),” declared Congressman Rama.
The medium-rise school building will house 42 classrooms and nine workshop rooms dedicated to junior and senior high school students in the Cebu City South District.
“We are grateful to our National Government, under the leadership of President Marcos, that the first-ever Medium-Rise School Building will soon rise at Don Vicente Rama Memorial National High School to address classroom shortages and enhance learning opportunities for our students,” said Congressman Rama.
According to the Department of Education, the medium-rise building will accommodate approximately 1,900 to 2,000 learners using the 42 classrooms in a single shift, plus an additional 450 learners who can utilize the nine laboratories/workshop rooms during one-hour science classes.
The groundbreaking ceremony was led by DepEd Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan, and Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah “Mina” Flaminiano Pangandaman.
“We are deeply grateful to Secretary Angara and Secretary Bonoan for coming to Cebu City to lead the groundbreaking ceremony. We are grateful to the national government for its commitment to improving the the quality of education for our learners and the strides they’ve taken in addressing classroom congestion and shortages,” added Congressman Rama.
The Cebuano legislator earlier revealed that his office had initially endorsed schools for consideration in the South District, including Don Sergio Osmeña Sr. Memorial National High School in Barangay Labangon, Tisa II elementary school and San Nicolas Elementary School in Barangay Duljo-Fatima.
“Following several inspections last year, DepEd and DPWH determined that DVRMNHS met the criteria for the medium-rise academic school building,” the Congressman explained.
Based on the 2023-2024 enrollment, DVRMNHS has 4,878 students for the school year. Currently, there are 4, 490 students. Most learners come from Basak San Nicolas, Basak Pardo, and Quiot Pardo, with some from Barangay Poblacion Pardo, Bulacao Pardo, Kinasangan, Punta Princesa, and Mambaling.
Construction of the medium-rise academic school building is scheduled to run from March to December of this year, with 24-hour construction shifts.
“This will definitely address classroom shortages and hopefully end the need for classroom shifting that our students currently experience. We want our students to learn in the best possible environment, which is one of this administration’s main objectives for education,” added Congressman Rama.
According to DepEd data, Central Visayas ranks among the regions with the highest classroom shortages in the country.
The 12-story building will be constructed on the site of the current hearing-impaired building and a one-story, two-classroom building within DVRMNHS’s 14,447-square-meter campus area.
