Ilocos Norte Second District Rep. Angelo Marcos Barba led the turnover of a newly completed four-storey building with 12 classrooms at San Nicolas National High School in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte on 17 October, providing additional learning spaces for students amid classroom shortages.
The P40-million allocation followed efforts by Barba to secure funding for the school building, which is expected to help accommodate the school's growing student population and ease congestion in existing classrooms.
The facility has 12 furnished classrooms, ventilation systems, comfort rooms and other amenities designed to meet Department of Education (DepEd) standards.
The turnover ceremony, held at 9:30 a.m., included the blessing of the building, ribbon-cutting and unveiling of its marker. School officials, local government representatives, teachers, parents and students attended the event.
San Nicolas National High School principal Florante Riego said the additional classrooms would help address the school's longstanding shortage of learning spaces.
Riego thanked Barba for supporting the project, noting that the new facility would provide students with more suitable spaces for classroom activities as enrollment grows.
During the ceremony, Barba emphasized the importance of providing students in the Second District with adequate and comfortable classrooms, saying investments in education infrastructure were investments in the future of young Ilocanos.
Also present were officials from the Department of Education Schools Division of Ilocos Norte and the San Nicolas local government, led by Mayor Ed Mar Vincent Bonoan.
The new building adds classroom capacity at San Nicolas National High School as the school works to accommodate its students and provide a more suitable learning environment.