DepEd: Causes of death of 2 Iloilo teachers not due to heat stroke

The Department of Education (DepEd) has refuted a report about two teachers in Iloilo who supposedly died due to heat stroke, saying it was “highly inaccurate and misleading.”

Citing official records, DepEd said that one of the teachers passed away in February 2024 due to hypertensive cardiovascular disease, while the other one died in March 2024 due to aneurysm.

Both teachers were also reportedly at home when the incidents happened.

The DepEd issued the statement late Tuesday night, in response to a report of an Iloilo-based radio station about the two teachers dying of heat stroke while conducting classes.

The agency emphasized that no teacher in the province reportedly died due to heat stroke, according to the concerned Schools Division Office.

“It is unfortunate that certain news outlets resort to sensationalizing the death of our teachers at the expense of true and factual reporting,” DepEd said.

The agency also extended its condolences to the bereaved families of the teachers.

As the heat index in some parts of the country continues to rise to dangerous levels, some schools and local governments have suspended face-to-face classes and shifted to alternative delivery modes.

In 2022, the DepEd issued Department Order 37, giving the school heads the authority and discretion to suspend in-person classes and shift to alternative delivery modes in cases of extreme heat and other calamities that may compromise the health and safety of learners, teachers, and non-teaching personnel.

The DepEd also said that regional directors and superintendents have the authority to move class schedules to early morning or in the late afternoon due to the intolerable heat in some schools. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News