Marcos wants 29 July class opening to proceed if possible

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Friday that the opening of classes on Monday will proceed "as much as possible" after the onslaught of Typhoon Carina, depending on the conditions of the school facilities.

In a media interview, Marcos emphasized the importance of ensuring that educational activities continue despite challenges caused by the said typhoon enhanced by Southwest Monsoon or Habagat.

"As much as possible, as long as the school buildings are in a condition to take classes, they will do it," Marcos said, as the opening of classes has been set on 29 July.

"There are still some areas with water, and many have been left with mud and cannot be used. Some equipment has been damaged and needs to be replaced," Marcos added.

However, Marcos said that administrators of schools affected by the flooding caused by Typhoon Carina have the discretion to decide whether or not they need more time to recover.

The Chief Executive mentioned that the flexibility and adaptability learned during the pandemic would be crucial in ensuring that education continues.

"It will be up to the school to decide if they can manage or not. Some might be forced to conduct classes outside of the school building just to have classes. We will see," Marcos said.

When asked about his guidance to the Department of Education (DepEd), Marcos reiterated his directive to make every effort to keep schools open and operational. 

In a separate radio interview, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said more than 90 public schools will postpone the start of classes on 29 July because of the impact of Typhoon Carina.

Among the cities postponing the opening of classes are Malabon and Valenzuela. Public schools in Malabon City will now start on 31 July, while those in Valenzuela City will begin on 5 August.

"As a general rule, we really want to resume on 29 July, but some cannot really make it," Angara said in Filipino, as some schools in affected cities served as evacuation centers.

"Some want to postpone it extensively; we cannot do it because, as we know, what if another typhoon hits next week. So, those who can, should go ahead and start," Angara added.

Angara mentioned that schools in Metro Manila, Region 3, and Region IV-A suffered the most damage from the heavy rains and flooding earlier this week.

As of 9 am on 26 July, the Department of Education reported that 18,370,310 students have enrolled for the SY 2024-2025.

This includes 10,001,689 elementary students, 5,577,374 junior high school students, and 2,598,529 senior high school students.