Muntinlupa City Mayor Ruffy Biazon clarified the scope of the city’s announced health break, explaining that while public schools will observe the suspension, private institutions have been given flexibility.

This comes as the local government announced that its health break runs from 27 October to 2 November and aligns with a national directive from the Department of Education (DepEd).

Biazon cited that confusion often arises over whether suspension announcements apply to all levels and both public and private schools.

He explained that after consulting with the Association of Private Schools in Muntinlupa, the city adjusted its policy for non-public institutions.

“Out of 70 private schools and colleges here in Muntinlupa, there are 12 that wanted to continue their activities because that is their program schedule,” Biazon said.

“There are 58 that said that they also have a programmed health break and it is better to provide flexibility. So, based on our consultation with the private school association, we changed the policy that we issued,” he added.

While the DepEd order typically covers K-12 public schools, the city government expanded its directive to include locally run colleges, the Colegio de Muntinlupa and Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa.

“I hope it is clear. The decision on private schools is up to their management. For public schools, it is the government’s order to have a health break. That is what we will follow in our local schools, including colleges and universities,” the mayor said.