Mayors ordered to suspend classes no later than 4:30 a.m.

MANILA, Philippines - Mayors and governors have been instructed to suspend classes during typhoons not later than 4:30 a.m. for morning sessions and not later than 11 a.m. for afternoon classes.

Undersecretary for Local Government Austere Panadero said in signal No. 1, classes in the pre-school level shall be automatically suspended.

During signal No. 2, classes in the pre-school, elementary and secondary levels shall be automatically suspended, Panadero said.

In signal no. 3, classes in the pre-school, elementary, secondary and tertiary levels, including graduate school, as well as work in all government offices, shall be automatically suspended, he said.

Panadero said students and government workers must be informed ahead, not when they are already in schools and offices.

“This is to streamline the procedure in the suspension of classes and work in government offices in times of typhoons, floods and other disasters or calamities to spare the pupils, students, government workers and the general public from unnecessary danger,” he said.

Under Executive Order 66, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) shall issue the relevant weather forecasts through various media outlets not later than 10 p.m. of the previous day and 4:30 a.m. of the day of the intended suspension of classes and work.

PAGASA must issue the forecast not later than 11 a.m. of the same day when the suspension of classes and work would be in the afternoon.

Panadero said in the absence of typhoon warnings, EO 66 authorizes local chief executives, particularly in flood-prone or high-risk areas to suspend classes and government work in coordination with PAGASA and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

Barangay chairmen and officials can recommend through the mayors the cancellation of classes within their area of responsibility, he added.

Panadero said EO 66 also provides that in areas affected by disasters other than typhoons, classes in all levels in both public and private schools and government work shall be suspended only upon declaration by the President of a state of calamity on recommendation of the NDRRMC.

“The concerned local disaster risk reduction and management council must then be responsible for the announcement of the suspension of classes and government work in the affected areas in coordination with the NDRRMC through various media entities available under the circumstances,” he said.

Improved weather

PAGASA said the country’s overall weather conditions have improved as the low pressure area off Zambales dissipated yesterday

“The weather condition has improved for the past 12 hours and it is expected to have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms over Northern and Central Luzon,” PAGASA said.

Pangasinan, Zambales, Palawan, Mindoro and Samar will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms, PAGASA added.

The rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

The southwest monsoon was affecting western Luzon and western Visayas, PAGASA said.

No weather disturbance is expected to affect the country until weekend.

Moderate to strong winds blowing from the southwest to south will prevail over Luzon and western Visayas and coastal waters will be moderate to rough.

Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate coming from southeast to south with slight to moderate seas. – With Helen Flores, Alex- is Romero, Marvin Sy