Schools in Iloilo and other parts of Western Visayas could see more localized decisions on class suspensions under a proposed policy change that seeks to prevent entire provinces or cities from losing classroom time when disasters affect only specific areas.

The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) is urging the Office of the President to amend Executive Order No. 66, series of 2012, which sets the rules for suspending and resuming classes during typhoons, floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other calamities.

The proposed changes could give local chief executives, schools division officials and school heads greater authority to decide whether classes should continue based on actual conditions in their respective communities.

The push comes as calamity-related suspensions continue to eat into instructional time nationwide.

EDCOM 2’s analysis of Department of Education (DepEd) data showed that schools lost an average of 15 days each school year to calamity-related suspensions during School Years 2024–2025 and 2025–2026.

Negros Occidental recorded the highest number of school days lost among individual schools divisions, with 71 days attributed largely to the prolonged eruption of Kanlaon Volcano. Canlaon City followed with 61 days.

For Western Visayas, where communities face recurring typhoons, heavy rains, flooding and other hazards, EDCOM 2’s proposed approach could allow suspension decisions to reflect differences in conditions from one locality to another.

EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson Rep. Roman Romulo said it may no longer be practical to suspend classes across an entire province or city when hazardous conditions do not affect all communities equally.

“Hindi naman siguro dapat ‘yung buong probinsya… Hindi naman siguro ‘yung buong siyudad,” Romulo said in a televised interview on Aug. 18, stressing the need for more granular decision-making.

He called for greater reliance on local executives, school heads and schools division superintendents in determining whether classes should be suspended or resumed.

“Let’s trust the principals and the local executives and the superintendents too,” he said.

Every lost day matters

For students, the issue is not simply the number of days spent away from school.

EDCOM 2 Executive Director Dr. Karol Mark Yee said every disruption comes with a learning cost, particularly when suspensions accumulate throughout the school year.

“When class suspensions accumulate, the lost learning cannot simply be made up through additional hours or Saturday classes,” Yee said.

EDCOM 2 is proposing a three-level framework.

Classes would be automatically suspended when nationally established hazard thresholds are reached. Local chief executives could order localized suspensions based on local risk assessments, scientific evidence and consultations with schools. School heads would also be allowed to suspend classes based on conditions in their specific schools.

The framework would likewise allow schools to resume classes once local conditions are determined to be safe.

For communities in Western Visayas, such a system could mean that a school in a flood-prone area may suspend classes while another school in a nearby but unaffected community continues instruction, provided safety conditions allow it.

But localized decision-making would need to be matched by stronger learning continuity measures.

EDCOM 2 reported that only 37 percent of teachers had laptops and only 17 percent of students had gadgets needed for online learning, based on DepEd data submitted in October 2024.

This makes simply shifting classes online impractical for many Filipino learners.

Learning cannot stop with suspension

EDCOM 2 said schools should prepare alternative ways of delivering lessons during disruptions, including printed learning materials, modules and home-based learning.

The approach would need to consider the different needs of learners from Kindergarten to Senior High School, particularly children who are still struggling with basic reading skills.

EDCOM 2 data showed that at the end of School Year 2025–2026, at least one in two students were still not reading at their grade level.

The commission is also proposing that every school prepare an annual learning continuity plan before the school year begins.

Such plans would identify how teaching will continue when typhoons, floods, earthquakes, other disasters or emergencies force classes to stop.

The plans would also need to account for differences among learners, including access to gadgets and internet connectivity and whether parents are available to supervise learning, particularly among Kindergarten to Grade 3 pupils.

Yee said DepEd’s shift to a three-term school calendar is intended to help cushion learning losses caused by class suspensions. The department has also reported pre-distributing learning packets.IMT