What’s the point of a class suspension if it comes too late?

QC officials catch flak over late announcement, say unexpected rainfall threw off timing

When class suspension announcements come late, local officials can expect criticism. After all, a suspension announced only after students have already left home, or even reached school, can seem to defeat the purpose of keeping them safe.

That was the frustration behind criticism of Quezon City’s 10am class suspension announcement on August 17, as heavy habagat rains were already pounding Metro Manila. Other cities and municipalities had already suspended classes for the day the night before.

But Quezon City’s disaster risk office said the delay was linked to a forecasting miss in the timing and intensity of the rainfall, with heavier rains arriving earlier than initially expected.

Quezon City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department head Ma. Bianca Perez-Diamante said the city followed its standard disaster protocols before making the announcement, while acknowledging that its rainfall projection fell short.

“Our decision points are designed around the time students are expected to leave their homes. For morning classes, we aim to make the assessment before approximately 4:00 AM. For afternoon classes, announcements are made no later than 10:00 AM,” Perez-Diamante said.

She was responding directly to a callout post from a youth volunteer criticizing Metro Manila cities for announcing class suspensions during midday and relying heavily on rainfall warnings from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

“Where our projection fell short was in the timing and intensity of the habagat rains. We expected the heavier rainfall later in the afternoon; it arrived earlier in the morning. That is something we are reviewing and working to improve in our local forecasting system,” Perez-Diamante said in a Facebook post on August 17.

Perez-Diamante explained that PAGASA warnings were only one factor in the city’s decision-making, as they also complied with Department of Education guidelines on suspending classes and considered the city’s historical flooding and rainfall patterns.

“Forecasting will always contain uncertainty. Our responsibility in DRRM is to make the best possible decision using the information available at that specific moment, while continuously improving the systems behind those decisions,” she said.

Metro Manila and parts of Luzon faced intense rainfall and flooding due to habagat, or the southwest monsoon. Many major roads, business districts, and residential areas were impassable amid nonstop rain from approximately 7am to 2pm.

The PAGASA Science Garden in Quezon City recorded 201.7 mm of rainfall in just two hours that day, amounting to nearly half of Typhoon Ondoy’s recorded rainfall of 455 mm over 24 hours in 2009.

Quezon City later announced the suspension of classes for August 18 at 4:52pm on August 17.

Perez-Diamante nonetheless welcomed the criticism and invited the poster to a dialogue with the QC DRRMD. The youth volunteer replied in the comments section of her post, similarly accepting the explanation.

Many netizens seek urgency from their respective local governments in times of natural calamities, especially with worsening floods every rainy season. While the exchange highlights accountability in public decision-making, it also serves as a reminder for the public to continue engaging in dialogue with public offices and demand greater transparency.

Whether the criticism of QC’s timing is justified or not, the exchange points to a bigger challenge for local governments during extreme weather: making the call early enough to keep people safe, while working with forecasts that can change by the hour. For students, parents, and commuters, those few hours can make a very real difference.

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