MANILA, Philippines – Navotas Mayor John Rey Tiangco on Tuesday backed the Department of Education’s (DepEd) guidelines, allowing the local governments to suspend classes in public and private schools in case of weather and other calamities.
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
DepEd, Tiangco said, could not monitor the situation in all schools.
“Sa tingin ko magandang solusyon talaga yan dahil hindi naman mababantayan ng DepEd ang bawat situation, bawat sulok, o bawat eskwelahan. So mas maganda po talaga na ipasa yan sa local government units,” Tiangco said in an interview over Radyo Inquirer on Tuesday.
Under DepEd Order No. 43, local government units have the responsibility to decide whether or not to suspend classes in their areas in the absence of a strong warning signal from the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.
Tiangco noted that in some instances, some areas or schools were affected by floods because of glitches in the pumping stations or high tides, and not necessarily because of storms.
“Hindi na po malalaman ng nasa itaas po yun so pinakamaganda po noon ay ipasa po sa amin nang makapag-decide po kami agad,” said Tiangco, who ordered the suspension of classes in Navotas Monday due to bad weather.
The mayor said the city needed to maximize the use of the calamity fund for flood preventions, saying it needed more dikes and pumping stations.
“From 22 pumping stations, we now have 33, but we still need more,” Tiangco said.
Tiangco also called on his constituents to be educated on flood preventions, saying it was important for people to help in the process.
“Nakikiusap sa mga mamamayan dahil tag-ulan huwag magtatapon sa mga kanal dahil lahat po yun makakaapekto sa atin,” he added.