By Gail Momblan/Philippine News Agency
ILOILO CITY — Classes were suspended in this city and other towns in Iloilo Province on Wednesday due to heavy rains brought about by Tropical Storm Falcon.
In a statement, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas announced the suspension of classes in public and private schools from pre-school to senior high school “due to the enhanced southwest monsoon brought by ‘Falcon’.”
Treñas has left to school administrations the cancellation or suspension of classes at the tertiary level.
Jerry Bionat, Iloilo Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) head, said some local governments in the province also announced the suspension of classes.
The towns of Tigbauan, Alimodian, Santa Barbara, Leon, Janiuay, Calinog, Lemery, Barotac Viejo, Concepcion, Igbaras, Pototan, Lambunao, have suspended classes in all levels for both public and private schools.
Meanwhile, the towns of Oton and Miag-ao have suspended classes from pre-school to high school also in both public and private.
“Falcon” also caused the suspension of classes from pre-school to senior high school in both public and private in towns of San Miguel, Pavia, and New Lucena.
“The municipal mayor has the discretion in announcing the suspension of classes. We call these ‘localized’ suspension,” Bionat said.
Respective mayors in towns where classes are suspended have issued an Executive Order to “validate” class suspension, he assured.
Some of the bases of the mayors in suspending the classes are the water level in major rivers in respective municipalities and general flood advisory based on the Doppler radar, which can project the precipitation in a thunderstorm, he said.
Bionat advised municipal mayors and municipal risk reduction and management officers to “monitor the situation” and “always secure valid and legal reasons in suspension.”
“Our main priority is the safety of our students,” he said.
The Department of Education (DepEd) in Iloilo has reminded schools of DepEd Order (EO) No. 43 which provides guidelines on the implementation of EO 66.
EO 66 prescribes rules on the cancellation or suspension of classes and work in government offices due to typhoon, flooding, other weather disturbances, and calamities.
DepEd, in a statement, said “the decision to cancel or suspend classes must come from the local government unit. A school head may only cancel or suspend classes in cases where urgent action is needed to prevent loss of life or bodily harm.”
The department said: “Parents should have the ultimate responsibility for determining whether their children should go to school even if no order for cancellation/suspension of classes has been issued if they feel that traveling to or from school will place their children at risk.”
“Teaching personnel handling canceled or suspended classes are allowed to leave their stations in consideration of the work they will need to undertake during make-up classes,” it added.
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