DepEd issues guidelines on use of funds for school repairs

Published May 11, 2011 9:04am

The Department of Education (DepEd) has issued guidelines on the use of the Quick Response Fund (QRF) for school repairs in if there has been a fire or a calamity. DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro said the QRF is an annual P550-million fund for the construction or repair of schools destroyed by calamities. â€œGiven the frequency and intensity of calamities, it would be to the best interest of our students to have a readily available fund for rebuilding so as not to disrupt classes," Luistro said in a news release posted on the government portal. Luistro ordered the DepEd to review the procurement process for a more frugal and prudent use of the QRF. The calamities covered by the QRF include:

Fire, as certified by the local fire department;

Typhoons or floods, as recorded by the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA); and

Earthquake or earthquake fire, as recorded by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs). To avail of the QRF, affected schools need to submit the following requirements: 1. Fire Incident Report from the local Bureau of Fire Protection (for losses due to fire); 2. PAGASA reports and DepEd Rapid Damage Assessment Report (RADAR) for losses due to typhoons and floods; 3. Phivolcs record and report of DepEd RADAR for losses due to earthquake or earthquake fire; 4. Pictures of damaged school properties; and 5. A detailed narrative report including inventory of damaged properties and estimates of repair funds. Under the guidelines, the requesting party will be required to submit to the Physical Facilities and Schools Engineering Division (PFSED)-Office of the Planning Service, signed by the school heads and endorsed by the schools division/city superintendent not later than 60 days after the occurrence of the disaster. The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) will then release the list of the recipient schools for the issuance of the Special Allotment Release Order (SARO). - VVP, GMA News

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