Tabon M. Estrella National High School (TMENHS), one of the biggest public high schools in Bislig, is a step closer to getting an extension site at Km. 7 in Barangay Tabon. Bislig's city council has asked the mayor to have the land evaluated before any building starts.

The request is in Resolution No. 2026-686, adopted on August 18, 2026, during the 57th regular session of the Tenth Sangguniang Panlungsod, and published on the city government's website. It was sponsored by Councilors Victor B. Alvar Jr., Bernadeth May R. Almanon-Balondo, Romeo F. Cacayan and Reynaldo V. Dominguez, and by Vice Mayor Conrad C. Cejoco.

Why DepEd wants a second site

According to the resolution, the DepEd Schools Division Office of Bislig City "has formally requested support for the establishment and development" of a TMENHS Km. 7 Extension Site "to address the increasing educational needs and growing student population in the area."

TMENHS is already a large school. It started in school year 1981 to 1982 as a barangay high school, created through a resolution of the Barangay Council of Tabon. Its Wikipedia entry lists an enrollment of 2,120 for school year 2022 to 2023 and describes it as a mega-large school. It already runs two campuses, on Sugala Street and in Waray-Waray, both in Barangay Tabon.

The land sits inside an ancestral domain

The proposed extension site covers 14.7102 hectares at Km. 7, Barangay Tabon, and also covers parts of Barangay San Jose. The resolution says the area lies within CADT No. 070, the ancestral domain of the Manobo and Mandaya indigenous peoples.

That matters because, under the Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act of 1997 (Republic Act No. 8371), projects inside an ancestral domain need the free and prior informed consent (FPIC) of the indigenous community. The resolution states that the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Region XIII issued Certification Precondition Control No. CP-XIII-2026-021 on July 3, 2026, confirming compliance with the FPIC process under RA 8371 and NCIP Administrative Order No. 3, series of 2012.

In other words, the indigenous consent step has been certified as done. What remains is the local government's own checking of the land.

What the council asked for

The council noted that before "any site development and infrastructure buildout," a land evaluation, technical assessment, boundary identification and structural feasibility study must be done "to ensure suitability, safety, and proper land valuation."

It therefore requested Mayor Florencio C. Garay to direct two offices to evaluate the land:

  • The City Assessor's Office, which handles land valuation
  • The City Engineering Office, which handles technical and structural assessment

The resolution does not give a timeline, a construction budget, or the number of classrooms planned. Those details would come later, after the evaluation and once funding is identified, either through DepEd's national budget, the city, or other sources.

What this means for Tabon families

For students living around Km. 7 and the nearby parts of San Jose, an extension site could mean a shorter trip to school than travelling to the main TMENHS campuses. For the existing campuses, it could ease crowding as enrollment grows.

It is still an early-stage project. Bislig has seen this path before: eight of the city's high schools started as annexes of Bislig City National High School before standing on their own.

Parents who want updates can ask the TMENHS principal's office or the DepEd Schools Division Office of Bislig City. The status of the land evaluation can also be raised with the Sangguniang Panlungsod, which has the resolution on file.

Sources: City of Bislig, Sangguniang Panlungsod Resolution No. 2026-686 (adopted August 18, 2026), published on bislig.gov.ph; Wikipedia, "Tabon M. Estrella National High School."