Mayor faces criticism over late class suspension

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas has come under criticism from some parents for the delayed announcement of class suspensions due to inclement weather, which they argued caused inconvenience and potentially put students at risk.

The mayor announced the suspension of face-to-face classes for preschool to senior high school in both public and private schools on Tuesday, August 27, amid heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon.

However, the announcement was made around 8 a.m. on the same day—an hour after classes typically begin.

“Mayor, ara na ang mga estudyante sa mga malls. Dapat indi na sila pagpasudlon kon suspended ang klase. Wala na karon pulos ang suspension kay lagaw ubra nila imbes nga mapuli,” one netizen commented, expressing frustration that students had already gone out.

A parent of a student at Iloilo National High School described the delayed announcement as a “careless move,” noting that the advisory should have been issued earlier.

Another parent added, “Dapat announced aga pa, Mayor, nakalakat na mga bata, basa na sa ulan,” pointing out that students had already left for school and were caught in the rain.

In a press conference, Treñas apologized for the delay in releasing the advisory. He explained that the City Emergency Operations Center (OpCen) needed to first assess the volume of rainfall, which led to the recommendation being issued only after 11:30 p.m. the previous night.

“Nagapangayo gid ko pasensya medyo na delay ang aton announcement kay kagab-i nagab-ihan gid kay ginlantaw pa sang OpCen kon ano ang volume sang ulan subong nga adlaw,” Treñas said.

Following the incident, the mayor instructed the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to provide quicker recommendations in the future.

He emphasized that it is better to err on the side of caution than to have students attend school only to cancel classes later.

“Amo na subong ang aton rule, better to make mistake than to allow the students to go to school and we call off classes, mabalasa pa sila magmalasakit pa ang mga kabataan,” he added.

The state weather bureau has forecast light to moderate, with occasional heavy rains, over Western Visayas for the next two to three days.

The continuous rain that began late Monday afternoon, August 26, reached a record of 45 millimeters, causing flooding in several areas of Jaro and is expected to affect more barangays as the weather persists.