Quezon City officials are seeking earlier weather advisories from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to help authorities make more timely decisions on class suspensions.
Quezon City Council Majority Leader Aly Medalla filed a resolution urging PAGASA to provide weather updates during the periods when local officials assess whether classes should proceed for the morning and afternoon sessions.
Under the proposed measure, PAGASA would issue advisories between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. for morning classes and between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. for afternoon classes when prevailing or forecast weather conditions may pose risks to students and school personnel.
Medalla noted that many students, parents, guardians and school employees begin traveling as early as 5 a.m., particularly those who commute over long distances or rely on public transportation.
He said receiving weather information earlier would allow families and school communities to make informed decisions before leaving their homes.
“Our goal is to provide learners, families, and school personnel with clear information before more of them begin traveling,” Medalla said.
The proposal takes into account the two-shift setup implemented by many public schools, where afternoon students and personnel may need to travel to their respective schools before noon.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said PAGASA forecasts would complement the city government’s own weather monitoring and information gathered from communities when assessing whether classes should be suspended.
“PAGASA’s advisories are an important part of our assessment, alongside Quezon City’s own weather-monitoring system and reports from communities on the ground,” Belmonte said.
Belmonte added that more updated weather information could help ensure that suspension announcements are based on the latest conditions available to authorities.
The resolution also recognized that rainfall intensity can vary across different parts of the city and can change quickly, meaning actual conditions may differ from earlier forecasts.
It cited the widespread flooding experienced in August as an example of how rapidly weather conditions can worsen.
The proposed measure also asks PAGASA to promptly disseminate its advisories through official communication channels and make the information readily available to local government units and disaster risk reduction and management offices.
Depending on prevailing weather conditions, suspension announcements may also cover private schools and higher education institutions.
Private schools, colleges and universities are encouraged to establish their own suspension protocols based on their specific circumstances and communicate these procedures in advance to students, parents, guardians and school personnel.
When a city government announcement allows schools to activate their established suspension procedures, institutions may implement them in accordance with the protocols previously communicated to their respective communities.