Brigada Eskwela aims to prepare schools for disasters

MANILA -- This year's Brigada Eskwela program kicked off with the theme of readiness in times of emergencies. Aside from the usual cleaning and sprucing up of old classrooms and facilities, school administrations were reminded to also be prepared for natural and man-made disasters that may strike at any time. At the Dalandanan High School in Valenzuela, students and teachers performed an earthquake drill for visiting guests from the Department of Education – National Capital Region. Students, most of whom have not experienced strong earthquakes before, said they performed the drill at least twice a year, to help prepare them for the big one. Teachers were also trained to be first responders in case of any injury. In Commonwealth Elementary School in Quezon City, preparations were made to prevent the spread of dengue fever. The campus was fumigated to drive mosquitoes away. The government saves billions of pesos worth of resources from the yearly campaign. The Brigada Eskwela will run the whole week and is open to help from all sectors.