By Edwin Fernandez/Philippine News Agency
TALITAY, Maguindanao — Officials of a public elementary school here, where two buildings were engulfed by fire last week, declared that classes would continue Monday despite the incident.
“Our classes will continue as scheduled, we will be innovative, we will use our covered court for our temporary classrooms,” Abdulgani Mamaluba, principal of the Pageda Elementary School said in an interview.
A four-classroom building, one of the two structures inside the Pageda school compound, was razed by a fire of still unknown origin at about 3 p.m. on June 6.
Capt. Karl Centinaje, Talitay town police chief, said investigation on the incident is still going on as he denied earlier reports the fire was intentional and carried out by lawless elements.
“That was a possibility but we are not discounting that, we are still investigating,” he said.
He also denied that faulty wiring triggered the fire since the school has no electricity supply.
The school is near an Army detachment and an outpost of Task Force Ittihad (Unity) of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Dr. Alibai Benito Aliuden, Maguindanao schools’ division superintendent, also ordered an investigation into the incident and assured parents that classes will continue and that the Department of Education is working to find ways so that classes will not be affected.
Education Minister Mohagher Iqbal of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao said his office is finding means and looking for funds to construct a new building for the Pageda Elementary School.
For the latest updates about this story, visit the Philippine News Agency website
