We were already on our way to school when the Undersecretary of the DepEd went on air to announce that she is suspending classes due to inclement weather. Well, it was about time! We had to traverse floody streets, no thanks to the "competent" engineers of the city and other officials of the government who had months and months of dry spell to check out sewerages and canals to get ready for the rainy season that happens every year!
Anyway, while listening to the radio, the announcer was interviewing the mayor of Quezon City, to the point of urging him to declare no classes as most of the streets are now flooded. To his dismay, the mayor won't budge from his stance, in spite of the fact that most mayors have already suspended schools in their municipalities, using his simple logic that there is no typhoon yet and that this is just rain which happens every year anyway. When the announcer hung up, he was lambasting the mayor saying "Wala kayong maaasahan kay mayor!" (You won't expect anything from the mayor!)
I feel the mayor's logic is flawed. Yes, this is just rain and the typhoon is several miles away but the downpour is heavy since yesterday causing the streets to be flooded which may later on prove hazardous to commuters. How many times have hundreds of commuters been stranded on the streets simply due to flooded areas and because classes were suspended late? The good mayor would not even suspend classes for elementary school children? Maybe the fact that most of his constituents have to ride public vehicles, walk a long way, traverse a flooded area where manholes might have remained open did not figure in his equation. How come? Well, maybe he has his chauffered-driven car being escorted by two motorcycle cops so that he doesn't have to be bothered by a congested traffic for starters.
What is one day of school compared to the safety of school children? Why gamble? This also got me to thinking what causes the DepEd to announce a suspension late? Why leave this to the discretion of the school authorities? What do they fear by making an early announcement? That they would look like fools if the weather improves later? Why couldn't they make "safety first" a policy before anything else?
12 comments:
I agree with your analysis. He doesnt really traverse public long roads by foot like the rest of the students and poor souls..hence..he doesnt give a damn how dangerous it is...wawa nman mga students na naka-alis na ng bahay...
If only those in charge were more sensible, they would have put the decision-making into ONE government agency only! The more we involve in the decision to suspend work/classes in cases like this, the more indecisive we will be. This agency should be in charge of monitoring ALL conditions --- weather, floods, traffic, storm signals, and come up with one decision on or before 4am. We have been experiencing these for years, and we have always been caught wet, sick, cold, and wading in deep floods. Matagal na tayong nabibiktima ng ka-estupiduhan nila! Sorry for the harsh word. I can't help it.
buti na lang talaga 10:30am pa first class ko! buwahahaha!
Sam Like me and my kids. hehehe
Dr. Emer Exactly. This is like passing the buck. Why couldn't someone be man enough to make the decision?
mickey Swerte ka. Basang basa kami lahat!
That's pure and simple stupidity on his part. Now, residents of QC should know who they will be voting next time around.
that only happens in the Philippines....
Simple lang ang solution, Tito Rolly ... all public officials and their children should henceforth be compelled to take only public transportation to and from work especially during typhoon season. Let's see how they will cope with all the hazards of taking public transpo kung malakas ang ulan ... flooded streets, agawan sa sasakyan, lumilipad na billboards and even (like I saw on TV last night) dangerous live wires from street posts.
he probably thought that standing his ground would make him look better. baaah!
ipanema I don't know. When it comes to election time, filipinos do forget immediately.
U.T.O.Y. I don't know if that's exactly true. There was a time last week when the news showed people of a State in the US complaining how their officials were not ready for a sudden downpour. As a result, the streets were clogged. Human follies in this day and age, I guess.
Bugsy i doubt if they would ever do that. But that's a good idea.
G. He sure miscalculated, if that were the case :-)
Hello Tito R,
I see nothing has changed...safety is not the priority but how the politico will look if the weather turned out to be "not so bad" and they already suspended the classes...I'd still say better safe than sorry...but the teachers will now say they just wasted another day and now they have to make up for it... I'd still say better safe than sorry...it's a damn if you do damn if you don't...but I'd still say bsts...
damn, flooding and they took that long to cancel class?
I hate typhoons. They ruin everything. I hate missing school even more though.. make up days! ugh!~
Rey A Would you believe, just exactly a week today and we're doing it all over again? The bad thing is the suspension came even later today. A lot of people were stranded amid high floods and caught up in a big traffic gridlock. Sheesh! We never learn, do we?
Trench We prayed for rain, didn't we? :-)
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