In improving the formal public education system and preserving Cebu’s local culture and heritage, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation has partnered with the Cebu Provincial Government, University of San Carlos (USC) Conservation and Heritage Institute Workshop, United Architects of the Philippines, and local government units for the Gabaldon Restoration Project, an initiative to restore the Gabaldon schoolhouses, which are part of the country’s heritage.
Made from local hardwood and built between 1907 and 1946, it was in these Gabaldon school houses where the Philippine public education system was born. They were named after Isauro Gabaldon, the Assemblyman who authored Republic Act 1801, which appropriated PHP1 million for the construction of school buildings in every municipality in the country. Some 3,000 school buildings were constructed but only about a thousand remain, albeit fast deteriorating.
At a forum held last September 27 at the USC School of Architecture, Fine Arts, and Design, stakeholders in the partnership unveiled a plan to restore 30 Gabaldon school buildings in Cebu. Of these, two have been completed—the Elpidio I. De Dios Elementary School and Luyang Elementary School in Carmen—while another six are in progress. These are in Bantayan Central School, Catmon Integrated School, Inghoy Elementary School, Lepanto Elementary School, Madridejos Central School, and Pinamungajan Central School.
Each schoolhouse restoration project requires about 45 days and PHP3 million, depending on material, size, and location. Of this amount, RAFI will subsidize 40% of the cost, another 40% by the Cebu Provincial Government, and the remaining 20% by the local government unit.