MANILA – Malacañang suspended government work and classes at all levels in Metro Manila, Cavite, Rizal, Bulacan, Laguna, Batangas, Pampanga, Zambales and Bataan starting 1 p.m. Monday due to continuous rainfall caused by southwest monsoon (habagat).
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the government’s three-member caretaker committee while President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is abroad, announced the suspension through Memorandum Circular No. 88.
However, those agencies whose functions involve the delivery of basic and health services, preparedness/response to disasters and calamities, and/or the performance of other vital services are directed to continue operations and render the necessary services.
The suspension of work for private companies and offices is left to the discretion of their respective heads, Bersamin said in the memorandum.
The enhanced southwest monsoon, intensified by Severe Tropical Storm Wipha (formerly “Crising”) outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility, has brought days of widespread rainfall across Luzon and parts of the Visayas, prompting local governments to issue flood warnings and conduct evacuations in vulnerable areas. (PNA)