Is there a new policy on classes and government work suspension?

Every time weather disturbances threaten Metro Manila, more than 12 million residents are plunged into a waiting game, replete with meme countdowns on which LGU will take the bold step of suspending classes the next day. If the LGU fails expectations, like the other night, Mayors are subjected to barrages of online criticisms and outrageous name-calling.

In the case of Tropical storm Enteng, thirteen Metro Manila LGUs declared suspension of face-to-face classes before midnight.  Manila, Makati, Taguig and Quezon city were the holdouts and various memes, some funny, others derogatory, went viral on why these four lady mayors remain late in decision making. At past midnight, QC, Taguig and Manila suspended their classes while Makati remained silent. At about 1AM, Malacañang thru ng PCO announced no more classes in, public and private schools in Metro Manila. 

The waiting game shifted next to the possible suspension of government work in Metro Manila. It was around 5:30 am when Malacañang declared that effective 8:30AM, government work is suspended except on those in frontline operations.  Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said this was upon instruction of the President.  The basis was a verbal recommendation from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) chief Ariel Nepomuceno that weather conditions will worsen in the coming hours.  The formal Presidential order came later, but true to OCD’s assessment, Orange heavy rainfall warning remained in Metro Manila from 8AM-11AM-2PM -5PM up to the time of this writing.

If you look at the numbers, Majority of the NCR’s 12 million population are desperate for quick suspension announcements with expected inclement weather. All of them want to stay at home than faced   heavy rains, flooding with its leptospirosis and traffic. In Metro Manila, families of 2.2-M enrolled students plus 645,000 permanent government including LGU employees are directly affected by suspension announcements. 

During past administrations, it was common experience, and this is horrible practice, to suspend classes and work at midday or noontime. A situation where people are already immersed into the weather elements and then told to go back home and again suffer the inconveniences.

Suspension policies of the past decades, ranged from gut feel weather forecasters from then ill-equipped PAGASA, some whimsical ideas from local politicians and the1990s famous and well-loved former DEPED NCR director Nilo Rosas. 

That time, no one wanted the responsibility and bear public wrath, so blame passing was deemed normal and decisions dribbled back and forth from DECS-NCR, the MMDA chairman, the city mayors and the barangay chairman and even the public-school principal. Rarely does Malacañang intervene, but during those times, chaos and death rates were already widespread.

Today, DOST-PAG-ASA has world class technology with its ten (10) Doppler radar stations, five in Luzon, three in Visayas and two in Mindanao. Each has spatial coverage of 120 kms capable of scanning intervals every ten to fifteen minutes. DOST-PAGASA also has 1,000 automated weather stations and rain gauges that delivers rainfall data every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day. These information from PAG-ASA are readily available to LGUs nationwide and heavy users are Metro Manila cities.  

Because of this data, City Mayors now get a real time city-specific weather information published on their LGU websites or Facebook accounts.  Through modern technology, mayors can now see the projected amount of rainfall on their jurisdiction including other weather observations. This is the reason why Metro Manila mayors are now quicker in suspension decisions compared to the 80s, 90s and 2000s.  On the other hand, some LGUs are also quick (like Makati, QC, Taguig and Manila) in not suspending because they think otherwise. 

I believe this practice is excellent, because LGUs are supposed to be autonomous and accountable to their constituents, who will then be their final judge of suspension decisions.

Since Metro Manila LGU’s are empowered by PAG-ASA weather data, the onus on suspending work in government offices today are now tasked on the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) with its new chief Ariel Nepomuceno.   Last Wednesday, August 28, he recommended to PBBM the suspension of classes and government work because of rainfall forecast from Southwest monsoon. It was about 7AM when the written Presidential directive was released to media. Before that, 16 of 17 Metro Manila LGUs except Makati have already suspended their classes. 

Yesterday was a repetition, but instead of releasing another written document, the work suspension effective 8:30 from Malacañang was announced thru the PCO, at about 5:30 with the written Presidential order to follow later. The timing was perfect, and NCR residents adjusted accordingly.

In an interview, PBBM ordered the release of prompt announcements on work and school suspension specifically for today, September 3. “We will try to give the bulletin as early as possible for work and school tomorrow, my instruction to them is, if possible before we go to bed, we already know if there will be work or classes tomorrow or not.”, he said.

This presidential directive is both straightforward and unmistakable.  It means that at the very least before 12 midnight, or six hours before classes and eight hours before government work, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), the NDRRMC together with the modern PAG-ASA weather technology must come up with a concrete recommendation to PBBM either to suspend or not to suspend classes and government work for the day.  

As far as I’m concerned, this is the long-awaited policy that the people are waiting for. LGUs have no technology muscle to predict weather forecasts and conditions, only PAGASA can do that. Now, it’s PAG-ASA’s time to prove to the people that the billions of pesos heavily invested to modernize its weather forecasting technology for the past decades is worth of every single centavo of our tax money.