Malacañang said the two-day suspension of face-to-face classes in the basic education curriculum in Metro Manila aims to prevent the spread of influenza-like illnesses among students and teachers and allow schools to undergo cleaning and safety inspections following recent earthquakes.

Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said this after the Department of Education–National Capital Region (DepEd–NCR) earlier announced that all public schools in Metro Manila would suspend in-person classes from Oct. 13 to 14, following the rise in influenza-like illnesses and recent earthquakes in different parts of the country.

In her press briefing, Castro said the Department of Health (DOH) recommended the temporary “health break” as a preventive measure to stop transmission in schools while ensuring classrooms are disinfected before students return.

“Minabuti po nila na huwag na po itong kumalat at nagkaroon ng health break sa mga eskwelahan… para po hindi na nga po ito humawa o magkahawahan ang mga estudyante (They decided to prevent it from spreading by declaring a health break in schools so that students won’t infect one another),” she said.

“Ito ay magiging paraan na rin para linisin ang mga eskwelahan sa dalawang araw para pagpasok ng mga bata ay maaasahan na ito ay safe at malinis na po (This will also serve as an opportunity to clean schools over two days so that when students return, they can be assured the facilities are safe and clean),” she added.

Castro said health officials assured the Palace that the number of influenza-like illness cases remains lower than last year, even as colder weather conditions make such illnesses more common.

“Ang ganitong panahon talaga ay nandirito po talaga lumalabas ang influenza-like illnesses… mas mababa nga po ngayon ng eight percent pero aasahan pa rin natin na dahil sa panahon na taglamig, ito ay maaasahan (During this season, influenza-like illnesses really tend to appear… the cases are eight percent lower now than before, but we can still expect them because of the cold weather),” she said.

The DOH has said the national trend remains stable, but encouraged local authorities to implement preventive measures to keep infection numbers down.

“It is sound precaution for local and institutional health authorities to practice preventive measures to keep the numbers down,” said DOH spokesperson Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo.

The DepEd said schools will shift to Alternative Delivery Modalities (ADM) during the suspension period to ensure continued learning, in line with DepEd Order No. 54, s. 2012.

The advisory, signed by DepEd-NCR Regional Director Jocelyn Andaya, aligns with national guidelines on disaster and safety preparedness and emphasizes coordination with local government units and division engineers for inspection and mitigation measures.

The suspension follows a series of tremors that struck different parts of the country in recent weeks, including a magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Davao Oriental on Oct. 10. The measure also comes amid seasonal increases in flu and respiratory infections typically observed during the colder months.