Marcos pushes release of class suspension guidelines

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos wants the updated guidelines on class suspensions during weather disturbances and calamities fast-tracked to prevent confusion among parents and students, Malacañang said yesterday.

The proposed guidelines for the suspension and resumption of classes and onsite work was among the issues discussed during the 11th Economy and Development Council Meeting (EDCOM) last Wednesday.

The council also tackled learning continuity, which was affected by recent class suspensions caused by monsoon-induced rains and floods.

“There should be harmonization so that announcements will not be confusing, whether it will be announced locally, by the mayor, by the governor or by DepEd (Department of Education). The President wants it expedited,” Palace press officer Claire Castro said in a media briefing.

For its part, DepEd yesterday also asked local government units (LGUs) to be specific when suspending classes.

In a statement, the DepEd explained that LGUs should be specific in its directive on class suspensions to help protect learning time, particularly when conditions vary across municipalities, barangays or schools.

DepEd’s appeal was part of the proposed Executive Order on the Suspension and Resumption of Classes and Work in Educational Institutions and Other Related Matters, which seeks to establish a more responsive framework for suspension and resumption decisions while keeping the safety of learners, teachers, and school personnel as the foremost consideration.

Under the proposed EO, suspension and resumption decisions may be automatic, localized, or granular depending on the nature and extent of the risk.

For localized suspensions, DepEd urged the LGUs to identify the specific areas actually affected by a hazard. In situations that conditions allow, a province may specify the affected municipalities, while a city or municipality may identify the affected barangays or schools.

“Our request is simple: be specific when you suspend. If the risk is limited to certain areas, identifying those areas can help schools in unaffected areas continue learning,” DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said.

He gave assurance that the proposed EO would not remove or diminish the authority of local chief executives to suspend classes. It would only encourage them to coordinate with the local disaster risk reduction and management office and the affected education authorities, such as the schools division superintendent, to help arrive at an informed decision based on the conditions on the ground.

Citing data, DepEd said that as of Sept. 11, divisions had lost an average of four learning days nationwide.

But the impact varied significantly across areas such as in Region 3, where the average was nine lost learning days, while Pampanga had already recorded 26. In the National Capital Region the average was 8.2 days, while Caloocan had recorded 25.

Out of the 47,000 DepEd schools in the country, a total of 34,775 schools or 72.49 percent experienced class suspensions from the day classes opened until Sept. 10.

The proposed order also allows granular suspension and resumption when conditions on the ground differ within an area covered by a broader suspension. It also requires coordination or concurrence with the concerned LGU to avoid conflicting announcements and confusion among learners, parents, teachers and the community.

Granular resumption may only be considered when there has already been a broader or blanket suspension and a school, based on a documented site-specific assessment, determines that conditions are safe for the resumption of in-person classes.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration yesterday said that a low-pressure area will bring rains in the southern part of the country.

Based on today’s forecast, cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms will be felt in Visayas, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, BARMM, Northern Mindanao, Batangas and Quezon.

However, the LPA is still “unlikely” to develop into a tropical cyclone in the next 24 hours and was last located 160 kilometers east of Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

Meanwhile, the weather disturbance outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) has developed into a tropical storm and was given the international name Dujuan.

It was last located at 2,910 km east of extreme Northern Luzon packing winds at 95 kms per hour and gusts at 115 kph.

It is still unlikely to enter PAR as it moves northward at 50 kph.

Metro Manila and the rest of the country will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms due to localized thunderstorms.

Also discussed during the EDCOM meeting were the North-South Commuter Railway operations and maintenance public-private partnership (PPP) projects.

Castro said the administration has adopted changes in the timelines of some projects because of right-of-way issues and efforts to safeguard public funds, which affected the procurement process.

She said the first partial operation of the Valenzuela to Malolos segment is expected to start in December next year while the second partial operation of the Malolos to Clark segment is projected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2028.

The third partial operation of the Clark-Solis-Alabang to Calamba segment is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2031 while full operation of the Clark to Calamba segment is projected to start in the third quarter of 2033. Previously, the transportation department said the commuter railway is seen to be fully operational by January 2032.

The EDCOM also tackled the Mactan-Cebu International Airport PPP project, the Supporting Innovation in the Philippine Technical and Vocational Education, the Training System Project and Road Network Development Project in conflict-affected areas in Mindanao and the Reducing Food Insecurity and Undernutrition with Electronic Vouchers or REFUEL Project. — Evelyn Macairan, Josiah Antonio

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