Mandaue suspends face-to-face classes as floods submerge classrooms

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – Face-to-face classes at Mayor A. S. Fortuna Memorial Elementary School in Barangay Guizo, Mandaue City, were suspended on Friday, July 31, because of flooding following heavy rainfall.

Moises Menderico, the school’s physical facilities coordinator, said classes were halted as floodwaters continued to rise, particularly affecting classrooms on the ground floor.

“Ganina buntag naa (klase) niya pagtan-aw namo nga padako naman sad ang tubig mentras wala pa mi (mitaas og tarong) gisuspend (classes), ” said Menderico.

(This morning, classes were still ongoing. However, when we checked and saw that the waters were rising, we suspended the classes before they rose too high.)

He said school officials decided not to dismiss students immediately, opting instead to wait for their parents or guardians to pick them up to ensure their safety.

He noted that the school has long been prone to flooding because of its low-lying location near a creek, with floodwaters worsening whenever high tide coincides with heavy rain.

Stranded students in Mandaue flooding

Menderico said classes on Thursday afternoon were also suspended due to flooding.

On Thursday afternoon, the Mandaue City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), with the assistance of the Barangay Emergency Response Team (BERT), conducted a rescue operation for students who were stranded inside the school after floodwaters entered the campus. The responders assisted in safely evacuating the students.

Jessie Villegas, a parent of a Grade 5 pupil, confirmed that the principal contacted parents on Friday morning to fetch their children after floodwaters reached the classrooms. He said flooding has become a recurring problem, making it difficult for parents to fetch their children during heavy rains.

“Mao gyud na sitwasyon basta kusog uwan (magbaha),” said Villegas. (That’s really the situation: if it rains hard, it floods.)

Meanwhile, Barangay Guizo resident Marlyn Teron said their community experiences flooding whenever there is a heavy downpour.

She said the belongings on the ground floor of their house were soaked after floodwaters entered their home. Teron also said her family did not sleep at home on Thursday night because of the flooding and instead stayed at the home of one of her children, who lives nearby.

Teron appealed to the Mandaue City government to implement a long-term solution to the persistent flooding, saying residents have endured the problem for years.

“Dugay na ni […] Manawag ming mayor ba nga tabangan mi, ang baha ra gyud ang deperensiya diri,” said Teron. (This has been going on for a long time […] We should call the mayor to help us, the flooding is really the only problem here.) ///

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