Joselito Malig

Article (news)

Francis Orcio

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — The Department of Education (DepEd) on Tuesday pushed for updated emergency guidelines that would allow individual schools to resume in-person classes based on their actual safety conditions, even when broader class suspensions remain in effect.The proposal comes as the effects of the southwest monsoon, or habagat, have triggered class suspensions in several areas for days, disrupting the delivery of basic education and contributing to learning losses.Under the proposed executive order, schools that remain safe or recover quickly from disasters and severe weather may resume face-to-face classes despite a city- or municipality-wide suspension, provided they secure concurrence from the local chief executive and submit documented site-specific safety assessments.Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the policy seeks to strike a balance between learner safety and the need to restore lost learning time.&quot;In line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to protect learner safety while recovering lost learning time, we need a policy that reflects ground realities,&quot; Angara said.DepEd cited data showing that public schools lost up to 53 teaching days during School Year 2023–2024 because of weather disturbances and other non-instructional interruptions.“While safety will always remain our non-negotiable priority, we can no longer rely on broad, blanket suspensions where an entire city shuts down even when individual campuses are dry, safe, and ready to teach,” Angara said.“If a school is clear, accessible, and certified safe, our learners should be back in the classroom without delay,&quot; he added.The proposed policy would update Executive Order No. 66, s. 2012, which established rules on the automatic and localized suspension of classes and work in government offices during weather disturbances and calamities.The revised framework would cover both the suspension and resumption of classes during a broader range of natural and human-induced hazards, including extreme heat, earthquakes, power outages and poor air quality.A key provision would allow public school heads to initiate the resumption of classes while a city- or municipality-wide suspension is still in effect, based on a documented assessment of their school&#x27;s condition and with the concurrence of the local chief executive. Private basic education schools, meanwhile, may declare resumptions through prompt coordination with the local chief executive.The proposal also retains the authority of school heads to suspend in-person classes during isolated, campus-level hazards under DepEd Order No. 22, s. 2024.DepEd said the proposed rules would require verifiable evidence to ensure that decisions are based on objective conditions, while local government units and Schools Division Offices would operate under a structured one-hour concurrence period upon receiving a school&#x27;s safety assessment.The agency expressed optimism that President Marcos would approve the proposed executive order before the end of the year.

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Tuesday pushed for updated emergency guidelines that would allow individual schools to resume in-person classes based on their actual safety conditions, even when broader class suspensions remain in effect.

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Tuesday pushed for updated emergency guidelines that would allow individual schools to resume in-person classes based on their actual safety conditions, even when broader class suspensions remain in effect.

DepEd: Let safe schools reopen despite weather-related class suspensions

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DepEd: Let safe schools reopen despite weather-related class suspensions

Francis Orcio,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 18, 2026 05:42 PM PHT

Read More:

DepEd

Class Suspension

Learning Loss

Education

Sonny Angara

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