CEBU CITY – Suspending classes have become almost automatic when heavy rains strike.

On Tuesday, Feb. 10, several local government units (LGUs) in Cebu suspended in-person classes due to heavy rain.

But a mayor in one of the towns did the opposite, and his explanation of refusing to suspend classes trended online.

For Dumanjug Mayor Gungun Gica, allowing classes to continue despite the rainy weather was his way of instilling discipline in students.

The mayor took to Facebook to send his message across.

“Mga estudyante sa Dumanjug: Usba na ninyo ang huna-huna nga kon mag-ulan, wala nay klase. Ang pag-eskwela dili lang mahitungod sa grado, kini nagtudlo kaninyo og disiplina. Sa higayon nga manarbaho na kamo, dili kamo mahimong mag-cge og ka-late o mo-absent tungod lang sa ulan (To the students of Dumanjug, change your mindset that classes are automatically suspended when it rains. Going to school is not not just about grades, it teaches you discipline. When the time comes that you start working, you cannot be late or absent just because of rains),” Gica said.

Gica admitted that allowing classes to continue during downpour inconveniences children.

But Gica said students have to toughen up, pointing out that going to school even if the weather is unfavorable is just a minor inconvenience compared to the challenges that learners will face in the future.

“Moabot ang panahon nga duna kamoy mas bug-at pa nga problema kaysa sa ulan, apan kinahanglan gihapon kamo mobarog aron buhi-on ang inyong pamilya (Time will come that you will deal with problem bigger than the rain but you still need to persevere so you can provide for your families),” he said.

Gica reminded students to start getting used to going to school even when it is raining.

“Sugdi na ang pag-anad-anad karon, tungod ang kinabuhi dili kanunay hayahay. Kinahanglan ang paningkamot para sa inyong kaugalingon ug sa inyong kaugmaon ug paningkamot para sa kaugmaon sa atong pamilya (Start getting used to it because life is not always easy. It needs perseverance for yourself and your future, you have to work hard for the future of your family),” Gica said.

As of 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Gica’s post garnered 4,700 reactions, 588 comments, and 1,100 shares.

Most reactions, if not all, on Gica’s post were positive.

“I couldn’t agree more. Life is not always all rainbows and sunshine,” Jess Ethel Sayson Quirante said.

Another netizen, Ti Rhell, backed Gica’s move.

“Truest. Some parents need to hear this too, especially those who spoil their children and do not guide them well,” Ti Rhell said.

Among the LGUs that suspended classes were Daanbantayan, Tabogon, Medellin, Catmon, Tabuelan, Toledo City, Minglanilla, Lapu-Lapu City, Talisay City, Aloguinsan, Danao City, Liloan, Carcar, Compostela, Consolacion, Mandaue City, San Fernando, Borbon, Balamban, and Cordova.

Classes were suspended after the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration placed several areas in Cebu under an orange rainfall warning due to continuous moderate to heavy rains.

The State weather bureau said the heavy downpour was due to the interaction of the northeast monsoon (amihan) and a shear line—a weather boundary formed when cold air from the monsoon meets warmer air from the Pacific.