The Department of Education (DepEd) spearheaded a series of nationwide stakeholder consultations on a proposed Executive Order (EO) to update guidelines for class and work suspensions and resumptions in educational institutions and learning centers during emergencies.
The proposed policy addresses evolving environmental and disaster risks—including extreme heat, volcanic smog, heavy rainfall, and earthquakes—by establishing a framework governing when in-person classes and onsite work are suspended and when they safely resume.
This system features automatic suspensions and resumptions triggered by nationally prescribed technical agency thresholds, localized suspensions and resumptions declared by local chief executives (LCEs), and granular suspensions and resumptions declared at the individual school level based on documented site-specific assessment.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara highlighted that the initiative reflects the administration’s priority to protect learners and school personnel while ensuring learning continuity during emergencies.
“In line with the directive of President Bongbong Marcos to prioritize both learner safety and learning recovery, we are working closely with local leaders to build a clear, balanced framework,” Secretary Angara said. “When extreme weather or hazards threaten our communities, keeping our learners and teachers safe will always be the top priority. At the same time, we must prevent unnecessary disruptions to education.”
“This proposed executive order empowers local authorities and school heads to act swiftly during real emergencies while ensuring learning continues safely,” he added.
Under the draft recommendations, in-person class and onsite work suspensions would automatically take effect upon specific triggers from state technical agencies, including a heat index of 40 degrees Celsius or higher, official rainfall warnings, and elevated air quality risks or volcanic smog.
In-person classes and onsite work will automatically resume once national agency advisories expire or are lifted, and required safety inspections are cleared. The proposal also outlines protocols for school heads to declare site-specific granular suspensions and resumptions. For public basic education schools, granular suspensions require concurrence from the Schools Division Superintendent (SDS), while resumptions following a localized suspension require concurrence from the Local Chief Executive (LCE). Private basic education school heads may declare granular suspensions or resumptions subject to prompt coordination with the concerned LCE.
To safeguard instructional time, the proposed framework integrates flexible learning delivery modalities and self-learning resources when in-person classes cannot be safely conducted.
The consultation series has so far convened key stakeholders, including Schools Division Superintendents, Local Chief Executives (LCEs), representatives from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE). A multisectoral consultation further brought together the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the Department of Health (DOH), the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), local leagues, and other government representatives.
Discussions centered on gathering local feedback regarding operational mechanisms, school-level decision-making parameters, a proposed one-hour response window for LGU concurrence on granular suspension and resumption requests, and learning continuity protocols.
Secretary Angara highlighted the importance of stakeholder feedback in shaping responsive and practical policy recommendations for government consideration.
“What we are building here with our stakeholders is a balanced, practical framework—one that trusts our local authorities to act fast when danger is at the doorstep, but also ensures that learning doesn’t simply ground to a halt the moment a weather advisory goes out,” he said.
DepEd will continue its consultations with teachers, parents, and students to further refine the proposed framework.
Outputs from the consultations will be compiled by DepEd to finalize the draft policy recommendations for submission to the Office of the President.
