Senate leader urges DepEd to balance El Niño safety with student learning

MANILA — Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian has pressed the Department of Education to develop carefully calibrated response measures to the approaching super El Niño phenomenon, emphasizing that broad-based class suspensions could undermine educational progress at a critical time.

Gatchalian stressed that while El Niño poses genuine threats to student safety, DepEd's protocols must distinguish between regions and municipalities facing genuine hazards and those where classes can safely continue. The Senate leader highlighted concerns that indiscriminate class closures would compound learning deficits that have accumulated in recent years, particularly among vulnerable student populations.

The call comes as meteorological authorities have warned of a strengthening El Niño weather pattern expected to impact the Philippines. Gatchalian's position reflects broader legislative concern over balancing disaster preparedness with educational continuity, a tension that has become increasingly acute as the nation works to recover learning outcomes affected by previous disruptions.

The DepEd has not yet issued comprehensive guidance on El Niño-related class suspension policies for the current season, leaving schools and local government units to navigate preparedness measures amid ongoing uncertainty.