74,243 learners affected as Panay quake halts in-person classes

ILOILO CITY — A magnitude 4.8 earthquake jolted Panay Island on Tuesday night, forcing 125 public schools to suspend face-to-face classes and affecting 74,243 learners, the Department of Education Western Visayas reported.

The tremor, traced to an epicenter in Guimbal, was felt across Iloilo City and several municipalities in the province, prompting immediate safety assessments in schools.

Data from DepEd 6 showed that schools across Panay shifted to alternative delivery mode to ensure the safety of students and personnel while inspections were underway.

Under the Schools Division Office of Iloilo, five localities implemented alternative delivery mode:

• Tubungan — 19 public schools; 2,226 learners affected
• Oton — 12 public schools; 4,462 learners
• Tigbauan — 32 public schools; 10,636 learners
• Guimbal — 17 public schools; 4,462 learners

Iloilo National High School also shifted to alternative learning, with 6,476 students temporarily displaced from in-person classes.

Meanwhile, the Schools Division Office of Iloilo City reported that 44 public schools adopted alternative delivery mode, affecting 45,981 learners.

DepEd 6 said monitoring operations remain ongoing to assess structural integrity and prevent potential risks from aftershocks. Local officials emphasized that safety remains the top priority before the resumption of regular classroom instruction.

The swift shift to alternative learning underscores the education sector’s emergency response readiness as Western Visayas continues to recover from the late-night quake.