Before the first school bell rings on June 8, soldiers from the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division (8ID) had already traded their rifles for paintbrushes and hammers — rolling up their sleeves alongside teachers, parents, and community volunteers to get Eastern Visayas public schools ready for School Year 2026–2027.
The Camp Lukban-based division mobilized troops across all six provinces within its area of responsibility — Samar, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Leyte, Southern Leyte, and Biliran — as part of the Department of Education’s annual Brigada Eskwela volunteer program, which ran from June 1 to 5, 2026.
Six Provinces Covered in Region-Wide Deployment
According to the 8ID, soldiers fanned out to assigned public schools throughout Eastern Visayas, carrying out a wide range of physical preparation work. Tasks included repainting classroom walls, repairing damaged roofs, fixing broken furniture, clearing and cleaning school grounds, and constructing minor school infrastructure where needed.
The division said particular focus was given to schools situated in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas, or GIDAs — remote communities where access to volunteer labor and construction materials is especially limited, and where the challenges of getting facilities school-ready are most pronounced ahead of any academic opening.
The 8ID framed the effort within the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Whole-of-Nation approach to peace and development — a policy framework that formally extends the military’s role beyond security operations to include active participation in community-building and the delivery of social services in underserved areas.
Principal in Catbalogan City Credits Soldiers With Easing Teachers’ Load
At Catbalogan 5 Central Elementary School in Catbalogan City, Samar, the practical impact of the military’s involvement was immediately apparent to school administrators.
Principal Renante Legatub said the presence of soldiers — who handled the heavier physical labor — gave teachers, most of whom are women, the opportunity to step away from manual tasks and focus instead on what they are trained to do: prepare lesson plans and organize learning materials ahead of the school year’s opening.
“Napakalaking tulong and we are very grateful na pinupuntahan kami dito ng mga external stakeholders gaya ng mga sundalo para mas mapabilis ang trabaho ng mga teachers para maging ready sa pasukan this coming June 8,” Legatub said, as quoted by the 8ID.
Legatub’s remarks underscored a dimension of the initiative that goes beyond simple repair work. By absorbing the physical burden of school preparation, the soldiers effectively extended the capacity of school staff during the critical final stretch before opening day.
DepEd-DOLE Partnership Channels ₱2 Billion Into School Readiness
The 8ID’s deployment in Eastern Visayas is one part of a significantly larger national effort. This year’s Brigada Eskwela is supported by a ₱2-billion joint program between the Department of Education and the Department of Labor and Employment, which funded the engagement of roughly 240,000 workers under DOLE’s Tupad cash-for-work scheme to assist in school preparations across the country.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara led the national launch ceremony in Agusan del Norte, signaling the administration’s commitment to ensuring that public school facilities meet readiness standards before students return, according to DepEd’s official communications on the program.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines was among the institutional partners formally recognized under DepEd Memorandum No. 27, s. 2026, which governs this year’s Brigada Eskwela program. Other tapped sectors include local government units, civil society organizations, and private sector groups.
This year’s program carried the theme: “Bayanihan sa Paaralan: Nagkakaisa para sa Kaayusan at Kaalaman” — a call to collective action rooted in the Filipino tradition of communal cooperation.
New Three-Term Calendar Makes June 8 Deadline Critical
The compressed timeline for this year’s preparations is directly connected to DepEd’s shift to a new three-term academic calendar structure. With School Year 2026–2027 set to open on June 8, the Brigada Eskwela window of June 1 to 5 left volunteers — including the 8ID’s troops — just five days to complete all targeted repair and rehabilitation work.
Under DepEd’s restructured calendar, the traditional August-to-March school year is replaced by three terms. Department officials have said the shift is designed to align the Philippine academic schedule more closely with international norms and to reduce class disruptions during the country’s typhoon season, which typically runs between July and November.
That narrow three-day gap between the close of Brigada Eskwela on June 5 and the first day of classes on June 8 means that any delays in school readiness carry immediate consequences — a reality that made the 8ID’s manpower contribution especially significant in rural and GIDA communities where paid contractors are seldom available on short notice.
Civil-Military Engagement Through Education Reflects Broader Army Doctrine
The 8ID’s role in Brigada Eskwela is consistent with a pattern of civil-military engagement that the division has maintained across its Eastern Visayas area of operations. In recent years, the division has increasingly incorporated community development activities — spanning education, health outreach, and local infrastructure — into its operational mandate alongside its counterinsurgency and defense functions.
In its official statement on the initiative, the 8ID described its participation as a concrete expression of the Army’s investment in the educational welfare of Filipino children living in the communities its soldiers are assigned to serve and protect. The division also called on military personnel, civilian employees, retirees, and their families to carry the spirit of the program forward by volunteering in their own localities, even beyond the formal five-day Brigada Eskwela period.
The Whole-of-Nation doctrine underpinning these efforts holds that durable peace and development — especially in areas with historically limited state presence — require the convergence of military capability, civilian government services, and sustained community participation.
Tasks Completed Across Deployment Area by June 5 Deadline
According to the 8ID, all assigned soldiers had completed their respective school preparation tasks across the six-province deployment area by June 5, 2026 — the final day of this year’s Brigada Eskwela program. Target schools across Eastern Visayas had their classrooms repainted, grounds cleared, furniture repaired, and facilities put in order in time for the June 8 opening of the new school year.
For the communities involved — particularly those in remote and geographically isolated areas — the military’s participation represented not only physical assistance but also a visible demonstration of the state’s commitment to ensuring that every child, regardless of location, has access to a functional learning environment when classes begin.
Photo credit: Photo courtesy of 8th Infantry Division / Philippine Army
Source: Originally reported by Philippine News Agency (PNA)
