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Fix faucets, toilets in schools — Ebdane

By Gina Peralta-Elorde

06/04/2009

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. has ordered his men to help fix water faucets and toilets in public schools nationwide to help 22.4 million students fight the deadly Influenza A(H1N1) virus.

Ebdane signed a memorandum in support of President Arroyo’s call to help protect school children from contracting the dreaded A(H1N1) flu virus by washing their hands thoroughly with soap and water.

As he called on DPWH men to “ensure the accelerated construction and repair of DPWH school building projects nationwide,” Ebdane said “special attention shall be given to the repair of water faucets and rest room facilities to keep them clean.”

“We support Her Excellency’s desire for our young pupils to avoid catching the flu virus as well as other diseases, hence the need to maintain lavatories and running water for better hygiene,” the secretary said in a memorandum to all 16 DPWH regional directors and 174 district engineers.

Ebdane said the department will do the dirty work of repairing the lavatories and toilets to keep the school environment clean and fortify public school students and teachers against the dreaded A(H1N1) virus.

The order of secretary came as the Department of Health announced out of the 36 persons being held under quarantine for possible infection from the flu virus, 29 are students.

Earlier, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus had admitted there is a need to improve or construct more toilets in public schools and ensure there is a constant supply of running water in schools.

Acting on an earlier request by the Department of Education for the DPWH to help it in their “Oplan Balik Eskwela” program, Ebdane also ordered his men to repair potholes, clear obstructions on national roads, clean and declog canals, repaint pedestrian lane crossings and remove unsafe billboards and signages near the schools.

Ebdane directed regional directors and district engineers to submit “status reports’’ — containing the names of the schools, location and photos — to Undersecretary Bashir Rasuman, chairman of the DPWH Task Force on School Building, to ensure full compliance with his order. Mina Diaz