Two days after Typhoon Tino affected Cebu, some universities still pushed through with classes through synchronous or asynchronous modality, even though the province is still suffering from its aftermath.
The Visayan Electric reports that on Nov. 6, 2025, through their Facebook page, still 66 percent of the total customers had electricity restored across the province. Furthermore, signals remain weak in most areas, and there is no internet connection.
Floating and now piled-up cars in Talisay City, submerged houses in Liloan, and deaths across Cebu are just some of the many effects of Typhoon Tino that hit the province this week, Tuesday, which made landfall around 5 a.m. One day after the typhoon, some universities in Cebu announced the resumption of classes through asynchronous or synchronous modality on November 6, Thursday onwards, even though students are appealing to suspend it.
It’s understandable that universities are having a hard time adjusting their academic calendars due to the many calamities happening in our province that lead to class suspensions. They want to do their best to keep up with the lessons missed and fill these delays. Clearly, there are consequences every time classes are not held.
Many students voiced their sentiments across social media platforms, as it clearly shows how out of touch these universities are with what is truly happening with their faculty members and students. Students voiced out how they cannot attend classes and do academic work and how teachers can’t perform their duties if their own homes are damaged by flooding. Some even cannot buy their necessities because their routes are blocked by debris caused by the typhoon. Alternating between faculty members working from home and students having online classes isn’t solving any issues.
At this time, universities and colleges should prioritize the well-being of their faculty and students by offering genuine empathy—such as suspending classes in the meantime when both online and face-to-face modalities are not feasible. They should offer emotional support and relief assistance to students who need it the most.
Universities’ responsibility is not just announcing shifts to other modalities while claiming they care for their students and faculty. Masking this alternative as being empathic without fully assessing that some of their students and faculty have just lost their homes, are still missing, cannot be contacted, and do not even have the means to attend their classes or submit their academic tasks just for the sake of logging in or showing up.