The head of Baguio City’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (DRRMC), Charles Carame, emphasized on Thursday that decisions regarding the suspension of classes and work should be made by local officials who are more attuned to the actual conditions on the ground.
“For me, it is better that the declaration of suspension of classes and work comes from the local chief executive because they know the specific conditions in their area since they are there,” Carame stated in a media interview. He explained that local officials, being residents themselves, can better assess the situation with input from their local DRRM teams and the Department of Education (DepEd) before prioritizing public safety.
Carame referenced Wednesday’s national declaration that suspended government work and classes in several areas, including Baguio, despite the city experiencing only light rainfall throughout the day. “Like yesterday, work and classes were suspended in many areas under a national declaration, but we only experienced light rains,” he noted.
On Thursday, Secretary Jonvic Remulla also declared the suspension of work in government and classes at all levels in nearly the same areas, even though it was sunny in Baguio that morning. While acknowledging the national government’s good intentions, Carame pointed out that officials based in Metro Manila do not have first-hand experience of conditions in other regions. “It is really better if we do it locally for a more accurate reading of the local situation,” he added.
Carame encouraged parents to make judgment calls in situations where no suspension is declared but conditions from home to school are deemed unsafe.