Teacher from Bukidnon hinterland school appeals for class suspension due to bad weather


CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – An elementary teacher from the Tinaytayan Elementary School in the hinterland Barangay San Miguel, Talakag, Bukidnon has appealed to the municipal government to suspend classes due to bad weather that they have been experiencing for several days.

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PUPILS of the Tinaytayan Elementary School in Barangay San Miguel, Talakag, Bukidnon, use umbrellas to protect themselves from the thick fog. (Contributed photo)

She shared their situation on social media where students patiently go to school on foot despite the weather, with some of them having no rain gear such as umbrellas and raincoats.

A photo posted online showed pupils inside a classroom using umbrellas while having class due to the thick fog.

The window of the teacher's classroom had no glass cover and even if their window was covered with cellophane, fog would still go inside.

The teacher said other classrooms have defective roofs and due to this, students could not focus because of the cold temperature.

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PUPILS of the Tinaytayan Elementary School in Barangay San Miguel, Talakag, Bukidnon, gather outside their classrooms amid the thick fog. (Contributed photo)

“(M)DRRM(O) (Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office) Talakag? Bukidnon is in yellow warning; perhaps there is an advisory of suspension of classes there,” the elementary teacher said in an online post on Wednesday, January 31.

The trough of a low-pressure area (LPA) is causing rains in a huge part of Mindanao. The LPA, however, has a small chance of developing into a tropical depression or even entering the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

Bukidnon was under orange warning based on a heavy rainfall warning advisory issued by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Wednesday at 2 p.m.

Due to the issuance of a rainfall warning advisory, some local government units (LGUs) in Bukidnon have suspended classes on all levels on Wednesday – the towns of Don Carlos, Maramag, Cabanglasan, and Damulog and the cities of Malaybalay and Valencia.

The MDRRMO of Talakag said that they are waiting to see if the municipal government will issue a similar advisory. The LGU has yet to suspend classes as of posting time.

Classes at Tinaytayan Elementary School normally end at 4:30 p.m. but the teacher said they let their students go home earlier. They want the municipal government to suspend classes as the weather may persist in the coming days.