SVES pleads for flood control measures

San Vicente village residents led by the parents, teachers and administrators of the San Vicente Elementary School are petitioning the Legislature “for immediate attention and remedy to the school’s chronic flooding.”

In its first PTA meeting for the school year held at the SVES cafeteria Tuesday night, Sept. 7, the new PTA officers made it their priority task to ask the Legislature to “facilitate the design and development of an adequate drainage system in and around the school to avoid further disruption of our children’s education” caused by flooding on campus.

The newly elected SVES PTA officers for the school year 2004-05 are Greg Borja (parent), president; Ivan Groom (parent), vice president; Noreen Borja (parent), secretary; Marsha Arriola (teacher), treasurer; Jaime Vergara (teacher), public information officer. They will join the community-based Management Council chaired by Dr. Tony de Leon Guerrero (parent) to tackle the engineering problem that has plagued the school each time it rained.

Based on information from the Division of Environmental Quality, SVES vice principal James Rayphand disclosed that “a well-engineered drainage system around the outer edge of the school grounds would prevent any further flooding on campus.”

In last week’s rain threats from Typhoon Songda, Gov. Juan N. Babauta and Rep. Janet I. Maratita witnessed the efforts of SVES principal Janet Villagomez to curtail the incidence of flooding by sandbagging doors and other strategic locations around campus where unwanted water had been known to flow. Fortunately, Songda veered sharply from its expected course enough to cause only minimal flooding.

“Our teachers and other school staff have spent an inordinate and unnecessary amount of time cleaning mud and other debris from our classrooms and administrative buildings as a result of flooding,” the petition notes. It adds: “While the school is vigorous and has been successful in its efforts to ensure student learning, the floods are a constant disruption to the upward momentum in our children’s academic progress.”

Parents and village residents who wish to sign the petition may do so by going to the Principal’s Office during school hours. The petition will also be available at the school gates during the student drop-off (6:30-7:15am) and pick-up (2:30-3:15pm) times. (PR)