COMMISSION on Higher Education (CHEd) Chairman Shirley Agrupis visited Region 12 (Soccsksargen) on Saturday, one of the areas hit by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake.
CHEd said in a statement on Sunday that the visit was made to “personally lead the post-earthquake emergency response for local higher education institutions” (HEIs).
Agrupis started her visit with the ceremonial distribution of tertiary education subsidy to 786 students in Tacurong City, Koronadal City, and Polomolok town.
“Time and time again, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reminds us that education is an investment. We are here to ensure that our scholars have the resources they need to finish their studies,” Agrupis said.
Agrupis met with Region 12 HEI presidents and representatives to discuss the impact of the recent earthquake.
University officials gave updates on “campus damage, academic continuity plans, and the safety of their students and faculty.” Agrupis highlighted the need for a more robust disaster-resilience protocol and standardized emergency response across HEIs, CHEd said.
Also, she inspected structural damage at Mindanao State University in General Santos.
“CHED is currently coordinating with the respective university administrations and local government units to expedite the evaluation reports, which will serve as the baseline for CHED’s technical assistance and recovery deployment,” the agency said in a statement.
“We need to guarantee that our campuses remain safe spaces for learning,” Agrupis said. “CHED will work hand-in-hand with our HEIs and partner government agencies to accelerate the recovery process, repair damaged infrastructure, and ensure that academic activities can safely and swiftly return to normal.”
