WORRIED about the safety of students amid the series of earthquake aftershocks, Cebu City Councilor Edgardo Labella II has urged the City Government, the Local School Board and the Department of Education (DepEd) Region 7 to adopt a flexible learning setup for learners.
In a privilege speech on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, Labella proposed a hybrid model of online and limited in-person classes, similar to the one used during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The safety of our children must always come first,” said Labella.
He said children remain fearful after the recent magnitude 6.9 quake in northern Cebu, followed by tremors in Davao Oriental on Oct. 10, and another quake on Oct. 12. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has warned that aftershocks could continue until Dec. 2025.
He appealed for hybrid classes combining online and minimal in-person sessions “until it is safe to return fully.”
“Education can wait—but their lives and peace of mind cannot,” said Labella.
He also commended the City Government’s week-long class suspension after the quake but called for proactive policies.
He said the flexible learning schedule would combine online and limited in-person sessions while ensuring continuity
in education.
Labella said the proposal does not mean deprioritizing education.
On Tuesday, Oct. 14, DepEd–7 Director Salustiano Jimenez said on-site classes in schools that have not yet been cleared by their respective Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices (MDRRMOs) and DepEd engineers, particularly in northern Cebu, will not immediately resume.
Until clearance is given by these agencies, affected divisions are implementing modular distance learning, where printed self-learning modules are distributed to students.
Schools with existing Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) systems resumed remote learning last week, with teachers coordinating distribution points or drop-off systems for modules.
Jimenez clarified that students are not required to finish all modules during this period to protect their mental well-being.
Before any in-person classes resume, DepEd has mandated psychological first aid and debriefing sessions for teaching and non-teaching staff, as well as students. / EHP