SCHOOL heads in Cebu City now have the authority to suspend classes during typhoons, flooding, and other calamities without any order from the local government unit.
This after Mayor Michael Rama issued Executive Order (EO) 1, series of 2022 on Friday, Aug. 19, 2022, that authorized heads of schools and higher education institutions (HEIs) to issue class suspensions without waiting for the announcement of the local chief executive or from the state weather bureau.
The EO is anchored on the principle of preventing the loss of life and bodily harm in the occurrence of typhoons, flooding, and other weather disturbances as these are threats to the lives of learners and teaching personnel.
“The authority of school heads and heads of HEIs shall be localized, based on need and circumstances to prevent the loss of life and bodily harm of students in the jurisdiction of their respective schools,” read a portion of Rama’s EO.
In a press conference Friday at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport before his departure for Canada, Rama said that during heavy rains, especially in the morning, school heads should decide whether classes should be suspended to prevent students from going to school.
Rama added that aside from school heads, barangay officials should be vigilant in saving the lives of the students before anything else.
“Saving lives is what is important. In other words, ang eskwelahan makahuwat. Apan kung mamatay na, dili na mabuhi,” said Rama. (School can wait. But the dead won’t come back to life.)
The Department of Education’s (DepEd) Cebu City Schools Division has already expressed concerns over the successive flooding incidents reported in the city over the past few weeks, especially since the new school year will officially begin on Monday, Aug. 22.
DepEd Cebu City Schools Division Superintendent Rhea Mar Angtud welcomed Rama’s new EO.
“There are times when there are already floods and landslides, and decisions from school heads are already needed because they know better than waiting for an order from the mayor,” Angtud told SunStar Cebu.
DepEd has also asked schools in the city to prepare contingency plans ahead of calamities that might endanger the lives of students and teachers.