[Opinion] Weather or Not

When does suspension of classes become an issue of Good Governance?

Good governance, as defined by the United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, is being inclusive and follows the rule of law and that the voices of the most vulnerable in society are heard in decision-making. It is also responsive to the present and future needs of society.

The Philippines, as a tropical country, experiences very impulsive weather. With the effect of climate change, the weather couldn’t be predicted accurately unless there is a severe tropical depression. Back in my high school years, suspensions were done by province. Before, the power to suspend was vested with the Chief Executive or the Department of Education (DepEd), and they relied on the “signal number”, which referred to the gustiness of the wind. Now, it is delegated to the local chief executives of each municipality or city (even with the barangay chairman) as deliberated by each locality taking into consideration the rainfall warnings issued by The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA. This system is very effective and efficient—on paper. If suspensions are timely, students, parents, and school personnel alike will be saved from going out in the rain and risking safety and illness. For the past few months, we have seen untimely class suspensions given by local governments in the National Capital Region (NCR), which was met with the clamor of students and parents alike who took to Facebook to voice out their concerns. As someone who has played his fair share of real-time-strategy games, city-builder-games, and the like, I thought about what those outcries for suspension really meant. Public outcries are meant to be heard and not meant to be set-aside. It is the vox populi, it carries the will of the people. And yet, the local governments across the metro remained stern and were not swayed by the vox populi —with justifiable reason of course. Suspensions cause a partial cessation in the economic activity of the locality in which it is declared. If frequent, it will also cause a delay of the school’s calendar which will disrupt the regular flow of the academic year. But the suspension of classes will also dramatically decrease the risk of a local epidemic of waterborne diseases, such as but not limited to, the flu and leptospirosis. It will also decrease the risk undertaken by the city since less people will be left stranded in case of unpredictable calamity.

Herein lies the crux of my argument: Suspension of classes becomes an issue of good governance when such power of suspension is not used properly. For there to be good governance, the local government, is tasked with being responsive to the needs and concerns of its people. Yes, too many suspensions are bad, but not enough decisive suspensions are just as bad. When you fail to call for a timely suspension, you not only risk the welfare of your constituents, but your prosperity as a municipality will be affected in the long run. When you fail to timely suspend classes, the risk of people becoming ill increases, your local health centers will be overrun with patients thus increasing your costs for healthcare. This also means that people may not be able to report to work, thus significantly hindering productivity. All of this will cause dissatisfaction among your townsfolk and create a negative impression on your governance. On the other hand, too many suspensions are also bad because it is a temporary partial cessation of the functions of your township. Suspensions and non-suspensions both have their consequences, so it is really the responsibility of the local government to heed the needs of their constituents and choose, even if sometimes they choose erroneously. ■

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