After private schools urged President Marcos to review and recalibrate class suspension policies, Malacanang said it will recommend that the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) review existing policies.

The Coordinating Council of Private Education Association (COCOPEA) recently appealed that private school administrators be given enough flexibility to decide whether to suspend classes, switch to online methods, or assign asynchronous tasks, after carefully evaluating the situation affecting their stakeholders and the school's academic calendar.

They pointed out that the “blanket” and “automatic” orders of suspension of classes by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary in all schools within the selected localities "hamper school preparations, discourage resilience in school communities, and devalue the education of students."

"It also deprives school administrators of the proper exercise of academic judgment in matters affecting student learning, the number of school days lost, preparations for major examinations, and their overall development," the group said.

The group urged the President to "support our call for a policy environment in education that prioritizes student safety while also promoting their quality education and consequently, their desired future."

In a Palace briefing on Wednesday, Sept. 3, Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said they will recommend it to the NDRRMC.

"Opo, irerekomenda po ito sa NDRRMC (Yes, this will be recommended to the NDRRMC)," Castro said.

She, however, underscored that the suspension of work in government is being declared by the Office of the President (OP) and Office of the Executive Secretary (OES).

"Pero tandaan din po natin ang suspension po sa work ay nanggagaling po sa Office of the President or OES through PCO (But let us remember that the suspension of work comes from the Office of the President or OES through Presidential Communications Office)," Castro said.