DepEd will no longer retweet class suspensions after Lawin fiasco

The Department of Education will no longer repost social media announcements on the suspension of classes, Secretary Leonor Briones said on Thursday.

Briones made the declaration after the DepEd erroneously tweeted that classes in all levels in Metro Manila were suspended on Thursday due to Supertyphoon Lawin.

It turned out that the basis of the DepEd's retweet was from a fake website, pretending to be that of the state weather bureau PAGASA.

The error confused thousands of parents and students who were monitoring social media for news on the suspension of classes because of the forecast inclement weather.

"Dahil sa isang tweet na galing sa DepEd account na nagsasabi na walang klase, ngayon 'yang tweet na yan was based from what was thought as a PAGASA site. It turned out na yung PAGASA site na yun is fake," Briones said.

"Gusto naming mag-apologize at humingi ng pamumanhin sa general public sa confusion na nangyari kagabi... We are looking at what happened para ma-assure natin na hindi na yan mangyayari ulit," she added.

Briones stressed that the DepEd could not suspend classes based on DepEd Order No. 43.

The order provides that only local government units and local chief executives may suspend classes when no storm warning signal is advised by PAGASA.

Based on Executive Order No. 66 signed by President Benigno Aquino III, classes in pre-school are automatically suspended if PAGASA raised Signal No. 1 in a particular area.

Classes are suspended up to elementary and high school when Signal No. 2 is raised and classes in all levels are suspended under Signal No. 3 or higher.

For higher education institutions, Commission on Higher Education Memorandum No. 15 provides that mayors and the heads of private colleges and universities have the discretion to suspend classes when no storm signals are raised during inclement weather.

This, according to Atty. Joseph Noel Estrada, legal councel of association of private colleges and universities, is where it becomes confusing.

Estrada said that in the association's understanding, mayors announcements of class suspensions should only cover public institutions. Suspensions in private colleges and universities should be under the school heads' discretion.

"Kaya lang pag announce siyempre yung mayor sasabihin niya all levels, public and private. Sinasakop niya pati yung private so nagkakaron ng confusion," Estrada said.

"So ang tendency is yung private colleges and universities they are compelled also to make a similar announcement. Otherwise magagalit yung mga bata aawayin kaminh mga school," he added. —NB, GMA News