It is especially vital as the country braces for the effects of the “super El Niño” season.
On Tuesday, November 3, Malacañan Palace announced that President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has signed Executive Order No. 130 that is based on the proposal by the Department of Education (DepEd) and other agency partners to amend Executive Order No. 66 (s. 2012) to strengthen disaster preparedness and ensure learning continuity.
Under the new measure, a unified framework for the suspension and resumption of in-person classes and school activities has been established. It will also cover onsite work in public and private educational institutions and learning centers.
The said policy was developed following extensive consultations with school leaders, teachers, parents, learners, private school organizations, local government units (LGUs), and government partners.
Although, EO No. 66 will continue to govern the suspension of work in other government offices.
Under EO No. 130, the government will adopt three mechanisms for suspending classes and onsite work: automatic suspension based on prescribed technical thresholds, localized suspension declared by local chief executives, and granular suspension initiated by individual educational institutions based on documented, site-specific assessments.
This effectively shifts the model from broad or blanket cancellations to targeted, evidence-based suspensions and resumptions of in-person classes, educational activities, and onsite work in all public and private learning institutions to balance learner safety with learning continuity.
Moreover, it seeks to harmonize existing policies on class suspensions due to natural and human-induced hazards and ensure that decisions are guided by scientific information, local conditions and the safety of learners and school personnel.
Under the automatic suspension mechanism, classes and onsite work will be suspended without the need for a separate declaration. Provided that the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-EMB), or another competent government agency will issue a warning, advisory or alert that meets the prescribed technical thresholds.
Meanwhile, should there be no automatic suspension, local chief executives (who are acting under their capacities as chairpersons of their respective Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils) may declare localized suspensions based on documented risk assessments and prevailing conditions.
However, they are required to coordinate with concerned agencies and consult relevant barangay officials, schools division superintendents and heads of private educational institutions in determining the areas and duration covered by the suspension.
As regards to granular suspensions, schools and learning centers may declare granular suspensions in coordination with their respective local government units. This is applicable when there is an actual or imminent threats to the safety, health or welfare of learners and personnel are identified through site-specific assessments.
The order also emphasized that the suspension of in-person classes will not automatically mean the suspension of learning as eucational institutions and learning centers are directed to implement alternative learning continuity measures, whenever feasible and appropriate.
The EO also establishes mechanisms for the resumption of classes and onsite work.
Under automatic and localized resumption, all in-person classes, campus activities, and onsite work may resume once the suspension period expires. It can also be done if the applicable warning, advisory, alert level or declaration has been lifted, downgraded or expires, subject to the completion of required safety assessments and inspections.
“Schools may also seek earlier resumption while a localized suspension remains in effect, provided they secure the concurrence of the concerned local chief executive and demonstrate through documented assessments that conditions are safe,” the government explained.
The DepEd, as the lead implementing agency, has been tasked with overseeing and monitoring the implementation of the EO, coordinating with concerned agencies and issuing the necessary guidelines.
It will also provide technical assistance to schools in developing learning continuity measures.
Angara, who thanked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for recognizing that every unnecessary day a classroom stays closed costs children their potential, said: “While learner and teacher safety remains strictly non-negotiable, we can no longer rely on sweeping, blanket suspensions when a campus is dry, safe, and ready to teach.”
He continued, “By authorizing granular resumptions alongside localized suspensions, President Marcos is giving our school heads and local executives the legal framework to reopen cleared campuses safely without waiting for broader declarations.”
The signing of the EO comes at an extremely opportune time as the country faces severe heat disruptions and extreme weather conditions brought about by El Niño.
The mew framework is anchored on Republic Act No. 10121, or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, and other laws governing disaster preparedness, weather monitoring and the delivery of education and technical training.
