Quezon City Council Majority Leader Aly Medalla has filed a resolution urging the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to release weather updates during the periods when local government units assess conditions and determine whether class suspension is necessary.

The proposed resolution requests relevant weather advisories between 3:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. for morning classes, and between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. for afternoon classes, whenever prevailing or forecast weather conditions may pose risks to learners and school personnel.

“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. We are requesting updates during the periods when LGUs are assessing conditions so that our decisions and public announcements can be guided by the latest available information,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said.

Rainfall may vary across locations and change rapidly. While no advisory can eliminate this uncertainty, updates issued during the City’s assessment periods can help provide a clearer picture of prevailing conditions.

The resolution noted that many learners, parents, guardians, and school personnel leave their homes as early as 5:00 a.m., particularly those who travel long distances or rely on public transportation. Many public schools also operate in two shifts, with those assigned to the afternoon shift beginning their travel or reporting for school or work before noon.

“Our goal is to provide learners, families, and school personnel with clear information before more of them begin traveling. The proposed periods take into account their actual travel times, including those reporting for afternoon shifts,” Medalla said.

Given the uncertainty of weather patterns, class-suspension announcements may still include private schools and higher education institutions when conditions warrant. The severe flooding experienced last August demonstrated how quickly weather conditions can change and how actual rainfall may differ from earlier forecasts.

At the same time, private schools and higher education institutions are encouraged to develop class-suspension protocols suited to their particular circumstances. These should be agreed upon and clearly communicated in advance to learners, parents, guardians, and school personnel. When a City advisory allows institutions to implement their own established protocols, they may do so based on the procedures understood by their respective school communities.

The proposed resolution also urges PAGASA to promptly disseminate its advisories through official communication channels and make them readily accessible to local government units and local disaster risk reduction and management offices.

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