FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD Patrick Jadli had always wished the situation in his class would be much better.

Sitting in a makeshift classroom with no ceiling, Patrick recalled how he and his Grade 7 classmates at Palina East National High school (PENHS) in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan endure their decrepit and poorly ventilated classrooms. On rainy days, the classrooms become muddy and flooded due to lack of decent flooring.

Because of this deplorable condition, Patrick and his classmates could not focus on their lessons. Fortunately, the sorry state of the classrooms caught the attention of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).

PAGCOR recently turned over newly-constructed two-storey, eight-classroom school building to PENHS. It also awarded a one-storey, six-classroom structure to Palina West National High School (PWNHS). With 14 additional classrooms, both schools will have spacious, decent and comfortable classrooms when they start offering Senior High School next school year.

“Isa itong napakalaking biyaya para sa aming paaralan. Higit sa pagkakaroon ng mga bagong silid-aralan na talagang maluluwag at matitibay, binuksan ng PAGCOR school building na ito ang pagkakataon upang makapag-offer kami dito ng Senior High School,” said PENHS Principal Senen Esmeralda.

He shared that prior to the construction of the PAGCOR school building, he would sometimes see students going out of their makeshift classrooms as they could no longer bear the heat. “Hindi sila makatiis sa init dahil napakababa ng bubong ng kanilang kwarto,” Esmeralda added.

But by the next school year, over 400 Grades 7 and 11 students of PENHS will use the new PAGCOR classrooms.

Meantime, PWNHS expects a surge in enrollment next school year after it received six new PAGCOR classrooms which can accommodate over 200 students. According to PWNHS school head Gemma Prestoza, the PAGCOR school building that will be used by Grades 10 and 11 students is a far cry from their existing classrooms in terms of size. The new learning facility will also serve as library and information technology center where students can do research work.

In Buhangin, Davao City, students and teachers of Bernardo D. Carpio National High School (BDCNHS) felt extremely blessed when PAGCOR turned over the newly-constructed three-storey, 18-classroom building to the school.

BDCNHS Principal Zenaida Milando said many of their students who come from far-flung barangays enroll in their Senior High School program. “Most of them come from low-income families but many of them are very talented and driven. So it is just proper that we provide them with the best that they deserve,” she said.

The school however has its limitations. Because of the increase in enrollment due to the K-12 Program, they had to implement a shifting schedule to fit in all students.

“We only have 25 classrooms shared by over 2,000 students. The fact that many of these classrooms are no longer safe for our students worsens the problem. That is why I am very glad that PAGCOR took notice of our school. This multi-storey building will help us respond well to the educational needs of our students,” Milando added.

To date, PAGCOR has already built 482 classrooms in Pangasinan alone while 295 classrooms in 54 sites in the Davao Region had been completed.

All in all, PAGCOR’s school building program has turned over a total of 6,921 classrooms in 53 sites nationwide. Apart from these, 2,404 classrooms in 220 sites are under construction while 173 classrooms in 22 sites are under procurement.

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