BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – Mayor Jerry Treñas said he asked the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) head Donna Magno to, in the future, issue a faster recommendation on class suspension when there’s inclement weather.
On Tuesday, August 27, the late announcement regarding the suspension of classes due to inclement weather caused confusion among parents and guardians of students.
The CDRRMO recommended the suspension of face-to-face classes from preschool to senior high school in both public and private schools, citing the effects of the southwest monsoon (habagat).
The approval was announced past 7 a.m. This left many parents scrambling to adjust their schedules and ensure their children’s safety, leading to frustration.
“The kids are already in school by 7 a.m. The parents are already in the office. Announcements should be done early in the morning like between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. This is very inconvenient to most of us, especially working parents,” an exasperated parent commented.
Some netizens also noted that some schools in the city start their classes as early as 6 a.m.
“This late posting of suspension of classes defeats the purpose of keeping the students safe during rainy days,” another parent lamented.
Mayor Treñas apologized for the delayed release of the advisory.
The CDRRMC had to check first the volume of rainfall, thus their recommendation came in past 11:30 p.m. on Monday, he explained.
“Nagapangayo gid ko pasensya medyo na-delay ang aton announcement kay kagab-i nagab-ihan gid kay ginlantaw pa sang OpCen (operation center) kon ano ang volume sang ulan subong nga adlaw,” he said.
Based on the advisory from the Operation Center advisory and weather bulletin on the southwest monsoon across Western Visayas, Iloilo City will continue to experience light to moderate with occasional heavy rains and cloudy skies with 100 percent cloud cover in the next two to three days.
The continuous rain beginning late afternoon on Monday has reached a record 45milimiter rainfall based on the hazard sensor network at Central Philippine University.
Such also caused flooding in several areas in Jaro and is expected to affect more barangays given the forecast, the number of exposed areas, and the vulnerabilities of people and assets to flooding.
“Of prime importance is the need to ensure the safety and general welfare of the children and the residents of the city particularly from leptospirosis,” the advisory read./PN
