CHED to college students: Don't ask us about class suspensions

College students should not expect the Commission on Higher Education, the government agency supervising colleges and universities, to answer queries on whether classes will be suspended during bad weather. In a post on its Facebook page this week, the CHED stressed it is deferring to local officials the decision on whether to suspend or cancel classes at the college level. "(The) CHED wishes to remind the public that it does not issue cancellation or suspension of classes," it said. Students should instead refer to Executive Order No. 66, which prescribes the rules on cancellation or suspension of classes and work in government offices due to bad weather and other calamities. But it said it will issue a CHED Memorandum Order concerning this "shortly." The Department of Education (DepEd), which supervises classes from elementary to high school, had issued Department Order No. 43 last May 28, with guidelines based also on Executive Order 66. Guidelines under EO 66 include:

• Automatic cancellation or suspension of classes – when the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration raises Signal No. 3, work in all DepEd offices in the affected areas are automatically canceled or suspended.

• Localized cancellation or suspension – in the absence of signal warnings from PAGASA, localized cancellation or suspension of classes may be implemented by local chief executives as chairpersons of the local disaster risk reduction and management.

• Cancellation or suspension during other calamities – decisions on cancellation or suspension of classes in areas affected by disasters like quakes, floods and tsunami and conflagration shall be made by the local government executive as chairperson of the local disaster risk reduction and management council.

• Maintenance of work force – regional and division offices shall activate their Regional or Division Disaster Risk Reduction Offices (DRRMOs) to monitor the situation and keep communication lines open.