A new seven-story high school building worth more than PHP298.96 million will soon rise in Manila.

Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna on Monday led the ceremonial groundbreaking of Victorino Mapa High School building in San Miguel district.

Lacuna said the project sits on a 21,000-square-meter floor area and is targeted to be completed by May 2026.

The new building will have 162 classrooms, which is enough to accommodate possible additional students in the future, as well as facilities for the school’s 159 teachers and 27 non-teaching personnel.

It will also have science classrooms and laboratories, library, gym, canteen, auditorium and elevators.

While the construction of the main building is underway, the classes will be conducted at the annex building, which will later be utilized by senior high school students, Lacuna said.

The campus complex project is funded by the city’s Special Education Fund.

“With Manila’s Special Education Fund, we will include V. Mapa High School in the provision of the needed smart TVs (televisions), desktop computers, printers, riso machines, and specialized printers for the student publications,” Lacuna said. (PNA)