DepEd orders public schools to hold remote classes amid heat, transport strike

All public schools nationwide will hold remote classes on Monday and Tuesday as ordered by the Department of Education (DepEd) in light of the scorching heat and the scheduled transport strike that will coincide with said days.

Teaching and non-teaching personnel will likewise not be required to report to their respective stations, while private schools, which are not covered by the advisory, may implement the same, according to DepEd.

However, DepEd said activities organized by regional and schools division offices, such as regional athletic association meets and other division or school level programs on the said dates, may push through, "provided that measures for the safety of all participants have been carefully considered."

The two-day suspension of face-to-face classes follows the latest forecast of the weather bureau PAGASA, showing that a dangerous heat index of 42°C to 51°C may be felt in more than 30 areas on Monday.

PAGASA said Aparri in Cagayan is expected to have the highest heat index at 46°C, followed by Dagupan City in Pangasinan and Tuguegarao City in Cagayan, Ambulong in Tanauan, Batangas, Coron, and Aborlan in Palawan, San Jose in Occidental Mindoro, Virac (Synop) in Catanduanes, and Roxas City in Capiz which may all reach 46°C.

Apart from the extreme heat, DepEd also shifted to asynchronous classes or distance learning due to the three-day transport strike that will be implemented beginning 29 April by the transport group PISTON, in protest of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) and the impending deadline for the consolidation of jeepney franchises set on 30 April.

The protest is expected to paralyze public transportation in Metro Manila, including Alabang, Baclaran, Sucat, Taft Avenue, Agoncillo, Monumento, Novaliches, Litex, Anonas, Katipunan, and Philcoa.

Around 100,000 people are expected to take part in the strike in Metro Manila alone.

Jeepney operators have staged numerous rallies in the past months in protest to the PUVMP and the franchise consolidation, but President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has the final say, announced that there would no longer be any extension of the consolidation deadline.