A PHP 56-million Memorandum of Agreement was signed to build a new 2-story, 8-classroom stilt-type school in Masantol, Pampanga, featuring an open ground floor designed to remain operational even during seasonal flooding and ensuring uninterrupted education for students in one of the province's most flood-prone municipalities.
A Design Built for Flood-Prone Communities
The new school building will rise on concrete stilts, creating an open multipurpose area on the ground floor that allows floodwater to pass through while keeping classrooms safe and dry above. Each classroom costs approximately PHP 3.7 million—around PHP 1 million more than a standard DepEd room—but the investment is critical in a municipality where all 26 barangays experience seasonal flooding . The design was first piloted in Bicol and later refined through site-specific risk assessments before being rolled out in Central Luzon . DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara has described the Masantol stilt building as “a model for flood-prone areas,” adding that the Philippines needs permanent solutions, not just temporary adjustments.
A Collaborative Effort to Protect Education
The agreement was signed at the DepEd Central Office, with Masantol Mayor Danilo Guintu and Pampanga 4th District Representative Anna York Bondoc as key figures . The project includes classroom furniture and is expected to decongest existing facilities. This development builds on years of advocacy by local leaders; Mayor Guintu has long pushed for "hanging classrooms" in Masantol, where students have historically missed classes due to floods . The stilt-type building will feature flexible under-space that can be used for assemblies during dry weather, and the elevated configuration ensures that students no longer wade through floodwater to reach their rooms.
