NMC Interim President Frankie Eliptico said they will start the demolition this summer while summer classes are online and there will be minimum impact on students and employees.
Eliptico said he hopes the demolition will be completed before the fall semester begins in August.
Currently, the college is working to secure permits from regulatory agencies, including the Historic Preservation Office.
As for the new facilities NMC plans to build, Eliptico said: “They will have a resilient design and will incorporate technological elements to reflect some of the lessons we’ve learned from typhoons and the current pandemic.”
“So the next time we have a pandemic or a typhoon,” he added, “our classes will be held from a remote site or from other places. There will be a seamless transition [from in-person to online classes].”
Eliptico said, “It’s not a great thing that this pandemic happened, but it’s giving us an opportunity to apply the lessons we have learned in the design of the new buildings.”
NMC, which was severely damaged by Super Typhoon Yutu in Oct. 2018, has secured construction funds from federal sources and is continuing to pursue other funding opportunities, he added.
