Five Classrooms Arrive Where They Are Needed
GENERAL SANTOS CITY - Five new classrooms are giving Romana C. Acharon Central Elementary School more room to accommodate its learners after several school facilities were damaged by the June earthquake. ABG Modular Development Corp. formally turned over a single-storey building to DepEd on August 3, 2026. The structure contains five classrooms, each capable of accommodating up to 45 learners, and was delivered with school furniture. The project was implemented under DepEd’s Basic Education Facilities Program, placing the new rooms within the government’s broader effort to restore learning spaces affected by disasters. For the school community, the handover means additional physical spaces are now available for classroom activities.
Built With Speed, Designed for Tough Conditions
What makes the project particularly notable is the construction method. According to reports, the modular classrooms were manufactured at the Palanas Precast Plant in Leyte before being transported to General Santos City. The complete implementation cycle—from fabrication and delivery to on-site construction and furnishing—was completed within 14 days. ABG said the classrooms were designed to withstand a magnitude 8.0 earthquake and winds reaching 340 kilometers per hour. The school’s principal, Harry B. Villanueva, also said the planned five-day construction period was shortened to three days. That combination of prefabrication and rapid assembly allowed usable classrooms to become available without waiting for conventional construction.
A Practical Boost for Learning Continuity
The new rooms arrive at a school serving approximately 4,460 learners, making additional classroom capacity particularly valuable following the earthquake. Before the new facilities became available, damaged classrooms had affected the school’s regular operations, prompting blended learning and shifting schedules while structural assessments were conducted. The August handover therefore represents more than the completion of a building project: it restores part of the school’s capacity to hold classes in dedicated spaces. The project also fits into DepEd’s wider push for disaster-resilient learning continuity spaces, with General Santos among the areas receiving rapidly deployable facilities intended to help schools continue serving students after emergencies.
