Fire believed to have been caused by faulty electrical wiring razed the Mabinay National High School on Monday.
A report on ABS-CBN television said eight rooms of Mabinay National High School, including the school’s principal’s office, library, computer room and several classrooms, were razed by the fire.
The campus’s science laboratory was also partly affected by the blaze.
No casualties were reported but damage was estimated at P5 million.
Investigators from the Bureau of Fire Protection said the fire started from the school’s computer room, which is believed to have resulted from faulty electrical wiring or overloading, the report said.
The school, which was constructed in 1991, was supposed to have its electrical system upgraded during the summer break.
The medals and diplomas of students who are scheduled to graduate Wednesday afternoon, were also destroyed.
“I can accept the fact that I will be graduating without any medals. What I can’t accept is the fact that I will be leaving my school with almost nothing. I am sad for the students who will be left with no computers to use, books, and other necessary tools for learning,” class valedictorian Reyshiel Saldo told TV Patrol.
Arnold Benitez, a teacher at the Mabinay National High School, lamented the burning of the computer room and band room. “We will surely go back to zero,” he said, as he appealed for donations on his Facebook page to fulfill the dreams of their 1,650 students.
The school’s principal Lucrecia Nicolas also told ABS-CBN that she has already informed the Department of Education about the incident as she expressed hope that the school building will be rehabilitated in time for the opening of classes in June.
