MANILA, Philippines?President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Tuesday ordered the suspension of classes covering as many as four regions to pave the way for a massive, government-led cleanup of areas devastated by Tropical Storm ?Ondoy? (international codename: Ketsana).

In a full Cabinet meeting at the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Ms Arroyo also said she would declare, within the week, a special nonworking holiday for the cleanup drive.

?We?re already at the cleaning stage,? she said.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) said classes would be suspended until Saturday in all colleges and universities in Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Bulacan, as well as Pampanga and Zambales.

CHEd Chair Emmanuel Angeles said classes were suspended in areas affected by the storm so students could be mobilized to help in rescue and relief efforts.

?We are going to mobilize thousands. The classes of college students may be suspended but they will help?as ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) or NSTP (National Service Training Program) cadets, in the rescue and relief efforts and in the cleanup,? Angeles said.

P90-M damages to schools

The Department of Education (DepEd) also announced there would be no classes at all levels in both private and public schools in Metro Manila until Friday.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said the suspension would also cover students in Sta. Rosa, Famy and Calamba in Laguna, and the entire province of Cavite.

Lapus said he was leaving it up to school superintendents to decide on class suspensions in areas not covered by the DepEd announcement.

?We are doing this to ensure the safety of our students and for the repair of our schools,? Lapus said, adding that the storm?s damage to public schools has reached nearly P90 million.

Coordinated cleanup

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, concurrent head of the NDCC, said Ms Arroyo was preparing an executive order on the special nonworking holiday ?for purposes of a coordinated cleanup.?

?We appeal to communities and barangays [to] repeat ?Brigada Eskwela,?? Lapus told reporters, referring to the school-opening cleanup drive implemented in June.

?Our schools need to be cleaned and, this week, we decided to suspend classes to help out in cleaning up our schools,? he added.

Teodoro said the drive would be led by local government units with the assistance of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), particularly in major thoroughfares.

Angeles called on student volunteers to help in the campaign, primarily those enrolled in on-campus military training programs, and medical and nursing schools.

Labor Secretary Marianito Roque volunteered to send 500 employees hired under the government?s Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program. He said they could work for at least 15 days.

180 schools damaged

The DepEd central office Tuesday received reports that damage costs of Ondoy?s devastation to the public school system had reached P89.87 million.

A total of 180 schools?69 in Metro Manila, 34 in the Cagayan Valley Region, 34 in Central Luzon, 33 in the Cordillera Administrative Region, 10 in Southern Tagalog and one in Ilocos?were damaged.

Damage costs for classrooms reached P88.815 million, while P1.055 million worth of other school properties were either damaged or totally destroyed.

On the other hand, Lapus said a total of 170 schools were now being used as evacuation centers, housing close to 10,000 families.

?All we need is bayanihan (community cooperation),? he said.

Teachers exam reset

Meanwhile, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) has rescheduled the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) from Sept. 24 to Oct. 4.

The LET was postponed due to the onslaught of Ondoy.

PRC Commissioner Ruth Padilla told the Inquirer that it was President Arroyo herself who ordered the postponement.

?We three commissioners met Monday and we decided to set the exam on Oct. 4. That?s nationwide,? Padilla said.

She said the same assigned building, seat number and schools for some 85,000 aspiring teachers would apply.

Padilla said those who would not be able to take the LET on Oct. 4 may take the examination in April 2010. With a report from Jeannette I. Andrade