By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos | Philippine News Agency
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is pushing for the immediate release of new guidelines on the suspension and resumption of classes amid unpredictable weather conditions, Malacañang said Thursday.
“Minamadali po ito, dahil nga ang sabi ng Pangulo kahapon na ang panahon ay paiba-iba, lalo na ngayon at minsan biglang bubuhos ang ulan o bigla namang walang ulan,” Palace Press Officer Claire and Undersecretary Castro said in a press briefing.
Usec. Castro said the proposed guidelines have yet to be approved, as the government continues to study how class suspension announcements can be coordinated to prevent confusion among students, parents, schools, and local governments.
She said the guidelines need to be reviewed first to avoid possible miscommunication, particularly when weather conditions suddenly change.
She said there are instances when an advisory is issued based on the prevailing weather, only for conditions to suddenly improve or worsen later in the day.
“Kailangan pong aralin para hindi po magkaroon ng miscommunication o malito ang mga magulang, ang mga bata kung anong oras papasok o hindi papasok,” Usec. Castro said.
She noted that the proposal is for local governments to have a role in announcing class suspensions, but a coordinated system based on weather alert levels, such as red or yellow, is needed to determine whether the announcement should come from the mayor, governor, or the Department of Education (DepEd).
Asked about the timeline for completing the guidelines, Usec. Castro said the process is being expedited.
“Kinakailangan po itong mas mabilisan, kasi mas marami po kasing naapektuhan, mga bata at mga magulang kapag hindi agad nagkakaroon ng announcement,” Usec. Castro said.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara earlier said the agency would submit to the Chief Executive a proposed executive order that would overhaul the rules on class suspension and resumption.
The proposed EO would give local officials and school heads more authority to suspend or resume in-person classes based on actual conditions in their areas.to suspend or resume in-person classes based on actual conditions in their areas.
