Marilyn Cahatol

Grade 3 teacher Analyn Vila interacts with her students attending their online class at the Ricardo P. Cruz Senior Elementary School in Taguig City on December 02, 2021. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

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COVID-19 Alert level 2- Education

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177365098050320211202-face-to-face-classes-JC-054004740.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Grade 3 teacher Analyn Vila interacts with her students attending their online class at the Ricardo P. Cruz Senior Elementary School in Taguig City on December 02, 2021. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News </em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Emergency management and disaster response expert Teofredo Esguerra on Monday said onsite classes and other gatherings should be reduced to minimize encounter time as part of preparedness measures amid rising fuel prices. </p><p>Schools and institutions may continue holding onsite classes and gatherings despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, but they should adopt changes such as reducing interaction time and implementing hybrid arrangements, according to the expert.</p><p>He also recommended minimizing the time people spend in face-to-face settings as a precautionary measure. </p><p>“‘Yung ginagawa natin na, ‘o magbawas tayo ng four days [of onsite], which is okay,” he said.</p><p>Esguerra also proposed site-specific adjustments, noting that not all tasks require physical presence.</p><p>“Puwedeng ‘yong iba, hindi talaga sisipot na. Kaya naman, ‘yong mga designers, researchers, they can do it virtually,” he said. “‘Yung eskuwelahan, i-hybrid, nagawa natin noong pandemic. We can configure [it].”</p><p>The Department of Education (DepEd) recently began implementing energy conservation and operational adjustments across its offices as part of Malacanang’s directive to address rising fuel prices. </p><p>“DepEd is fully committed to doing its part in reducing energy consumption across government operations while ensuring that our schools and offices continue to serve the public effectively,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara said. </p><p>Inter-agency meetings, consultations, and conferences will be conducted through online platforms. A four-day onsite work arrangement from Monday to Thursday, with Friday designated as a common work-from-home day for non teaching and related teaching personnel, will also be implemented.</p><p>Among the other measures are maintaining the air-conditioning at 24°C, activating sleep settings on equipment, turning off unnecessary lights and devices during breaks and after office hours.</p><p>The Department of Education recently reported that it is eyeing to bring back the 4+1 scheme (four onsite classes and one online class) blended learning to address classroom shortage.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/23/marcos-jr-orders-fast-tracking-of-construction-of-classrooms-nationwide-1547">Marcos Jr. orders fast-tracking of construction of classrooms nationwide</a></div><p>Meanwhile, the House of Representatives announced that it is adopting a three-day on-site and one-day work from home work setup during session days, to “streamline operations, reduce non-essential expenditures, and optimize the use of public resources.”</p><div><strong></strong></div><div><a class="fr-strong fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/16/house-announces-hybrid-work-setup-3-days-on-site-1-wfh-for-session-days-1222">House announces hybrid work setup: 3 days on-site, 1 WFH for session days<br/></a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gpBXxS2hKX4?si=xcSSC_Rs9E83Eoul" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>Emergency management and disaster response expert Ted Esguerra said schools and other institutions should adopt hybrid arrangements amid the ongoing Middle East conflict.</p>

Emergency management and disaster response expert Ted Esguerra said schools and other institutions should adopt hybrid arrangements amid the ongoing Middle East conflict.

Expert urges hybrid classes, gatherings amid Middle East conflict

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Expert urges hybrid classes, gatherings amid Middle East conflict

Chalssea Kate C. Echegoyen,

ABS-CBN News

Published Mar 16, 2026 05:27 PM PHT

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