The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines Chairperson Vladimer Quetua today called for urgent government action to address the dangerous conditions in public schools amid extreme heat, as face-to-face classes in several Metro Manila areas were suspended due to temperatures reaching the “danger” range of 42-51 degrees Celsius.
“The suspension of classes is necessary but merely a band-aid solution to a systemic problem. Our students and teachers suffer not just from extreme weather but from the government’s chronic neglect of our education infrastructure,” Quetua stated.
The teacher leader emphasized that the extreme heat is made worse by the deplorable conditions in many public schools, citing recent assessments by ACT.
“Maliban sa init, ang kalagayan ng paaralan ang mas terible kung bakit mainit sa loob ng mga silid-aralan. Siksikan ang mga bata dahil kulang ng classroom, at karamihan ay walang clinic, gamot, o nurse,” he said.
“The situation has become so desperate that students are being asked to forego their uniforms, bring personal fans, and crowd into clinics or canteens just to get drinking water. This is unacceptable in a country that claims to prioritize education,” he added.
Quetua called for immediate emergency measures and long-term solutions:
- Immediate release of Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) funds to schools for emergency cooling measures
- Fast-tracking the construction of the promised 15,000 climate-resilient classrooms
- Significant increase in the 2026 budget for school infrastructure, targeting the 250,000 classroom shortage
- Establishment of properly equipped clinics with nurses in every school
- Implementation of heat emergency protocols in all educational institutions
“We cannot allow another generation of Filipino children to study in overcrowded, overheated classrooms that endanger their health and compromise their education. “Hindi na dapat ipagpaliban pa ang paglalaan ng sapat na pondo para sa dekalidad na imprastraktura,” Quetua emphasized.
ACT also called for the immediate passage of House Bill 6398 or the Safe and Healthy Facilities for Educational Institutions Act, which ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro authored.
“This is not just about comfort—this is about our children’s fundamental right to learn in safe, healthy environments. The Marcos Jr. administration must act now before this crisis claims lives,” Quetua concluded.#
