DepEd: No truth to report 2 teachers died of heatstroke

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday refuted a radio report that two teachers from Iloilo province had died due to heatstroke.

It said that a check with the school’s division office concerned showed that there was no basis for the report that a local radio station, XFM Radyo Patrol Iloilo, posted on social media. The report claimed that the victims were from the town of Santa Barbara in Iloilo.

DepEd made the clarification amid the suspension of in-person classes in many areas experiencing rising temperatures due to the El Niño phenomenon and with the dry season reaching its peak.

Citing official records, DepEd said that no teachers had been reported to have died of heat stroke recently. But it confirmed that two others passed away earlier this year in separate instances in the province, although of different causes.

READ: Heat turns PH classrooms into ovens: What to know

Report ‘sensationalized’

One of the teachers from Santa Barbara town died of a heart disease in February this year, while the other one passed away the following month after suffering an aneurysm.

“[I]n both instances, the teachers were reportedly at home,” DepEd said.

At the same time, the agency criticized the media outlet for “sensationalizing the death of our teachers at the expense of true and factual reporting.”

“Most importantly, DepEd extends its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families,” it said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, DepEd also reported that a total of 6,695 public schools nationwide had suspended in-person classes due to the scorching heat.

Most of these schools were in Central Luzon (1,731) and Western Visayas (1,091).

In Metro Manila, DepEd said 415 schools had suspended face-to-face classes and implemented alternative delivery modes.