Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte clarified the city government’s implementation of its localized class suspension policy and protocols to guide students and parents this academic year.

In a statement on Thursday, Sept. 7, the local government referred to Memorandum Circular No. 10-A s. 2022, which provides the guidelines that the city government follows in suspending classes due to typhoons, flooding, weather disturbances, and other calamities.

The memorandum is implemented in accordance with Department of Education (DepEd) Order No. 037 s. 2022.

The city government said that the local guidelines, which specify that both in-person and online classes in all public schools, ranging from kindergarten to Grade 12 levels, will be automatically suspended upon the declaration of a tropical cyclone wind signal (TCWS), or orange and red rainfall and flood warnings by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA).

The classes from kindergarten to senior high school in public schools will also be suspended when the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) announces an Intensity V (Strong) or higher earthquake warning.

However, if there is no warning issued by PAG-ASA, the Quezon City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (QC DRRMC) will propose a city-wide suspension based on their pre-disaster risk evaluation.

If there is no announcement from the QC DRRMC by 4 a.m., barangays will have until 4:30 a.m. to declare the suspension of the morning classes in public schools within their respective areas.

For the afternoon classes, the QC DRRMC may propose a city-wide suspension no later than 10 am. If such a recommendation is not made, barangays will have until 10:30 am to announce localized suspensions for afternoon classes in public schools.

Belmonte said the localized class suspensions for each barangay in the city is enforced relative to the impact of the weather or calamity in a particular area in the city.

“Our city is the largest city in the Metro and constitutes around 1/4 of the entire region’s land area. There are instances when it will rain hard in Fairview in District 5 and not a single drop in Tatalon in District 4. Sometimes, light to moderate rains in Bagong Silangan (District 2) will cause flooding, but will not have the same effect in N.S. Amoranto (District 1),” the mayor explained.

“Then there’s climate change causing extreme and sudden weather changes. That is why we need to implement a localized suspension scheme otherwise, the education of the students in the entire city will suffer,” she added.

Moreover, the local government gave private schools the right to autonomously suspend classes or to follow the city-wide or localized guidelines based on DepEd Order No. 37 s. 2022, and as requested by some private school administrators.

Private school authorities are in the most advantageous position to decide on class suspensions because they have knowledge of their students' residences and transportation arrangements, said the city government.

Safety first

“Our decisions will always be data-driven and evidence-based, hence we will make necessary announcements and suspensions depending on the data provided for by our weather systems and infrastructure. We will always prioritize the safety of the students while balancing the importance of their education,” Belmonte said.

In these cases, the parents and guardians will not be held responsible for not allowing their children to attend classes during the inclement weather.

“We understand their concern. Therefore, we advise them that the children are considered excused from school activities if they cannot attend classes due to weather conditions,” the mayor added.

DepEd-QC Schools Division Office Head Carleen Sedilla also assured parents that there no penalties or consequences for students who are unable to attend classes.

“Our teachers are instructed to mark students as excused from class if due to unsafe weather conditions. To ensure learning continuity, schools have been instructed to pre-identify learning tasks that students may complete at home,” Sedilla said.