Waking up at four in the morning, going through all those struggles as a commuter in the middle driving rain, trying your best to keep you and your things dry all throughout the ride are no joke. And only to arrive and hear that classes are suspended? Malas.

Have you seen how crowded the sidewalks of Manila are past five o’clock, as commuters race with one another to catch a ride? It becomes a tournament — a battle of the fittest, whenever inclement weather becomes the day’s mood.

Across all social media platforms you’d read one echoing question, “Suspended na ba?” If only authorities are quicker to respond to the plight of the students, maybe we won’t dread the idea of commuting to school.

Sense of urgency from LGUs

Somehow, it appears that the sun is still brightly shining on some parts of the metropolis, as what happened yesterday, leading local government units (LGUs) to believe that everything was alright, and that we didn’t have to worry about anything — yet. The students were left with no choice but to pack up their bags, put on their best raincoats, and set forth a grueling journey on their way to their classes.

Alongside parents, students would flock to news live streams, hoping that public officials have already given them the good word they’re hoping to hear. Some would go even as far as to tag the mayors themselves on their social media posts. Who could blame them? We all just want the same thing: not to go through all that trouble for nothing.

To make it in time for her face-to-face classes, Information Technology junior Ashley Manaog would allot two to three hours as travel time on her way to UST.

“Manila is already bombarded with traffic and the heavy rainfall only made it more difficult for the people to reach their destinations,” she said.

It opens up a lot of discussions on where the sense of urgency of our local governments are. What could possibly delay them that early morning from asking themselves if the weather would be kind to students? It’s not like class suspensions due to inclement weather are a new issue to have landed on their tables. It happens every year, and by then, students and staff go through the same thing all over again.

The suspension of classes should always be delivered in a timely manner. LGUs should be mindful of how early classes usually start as a way to settle the students’ anxiousness. Time, effort, and money are wasted whenever students get to campus only to learn that classes are suspended — not to mention the uncertainty of going home safely.

Learning institutions’ own compassion

School administrators might have forgotten that we’re all back to the more traditional way of studying — onsite. During the height of lockdowns and virtual classes a couple of years ago, students may not have viewed late suspensions as a huge setback, aside from the fact that the inclement weather also affected their internet bandwidth. But we’re now seeing students in their uniforms. Not everyone has the privilege of having a home within the vicinity of their schools.

School administrators should be much quicker to respond on their own initiative on instances like this. Their compassion and concern for the students should be the bare minimum.

They should also immediately accommodate the students who have already arrived even in the absence of the Department of Education Order. This mandate obligates schools to keep the students and personnel safely in school if traveling [home] has become unsafe should a notice of suspension be announced when students are already within the school premises.

If schools and universities worry that class suspensions would be a setback in their academic calendar, then they always have the option of temporarily shifting their classes to virtual delivery or even asynchronously just to avoid all these frustrations. This apparent alternative could save so much resources for everyone — even for teachers. Administrators should just be proactive in implementing it.

As pointed out by journalism professor, Leo O. Laparan II, there should still be “subjectivity when shifting to online mode due to the inclement weather since not everyone has access to stable internet.” He emphasizes that all students should still be on the same ground so the best option would still be to hold asynchronous classes and activities which students could do on their own time.

Authorities should know by now that the people turn to them for help, and that they’re supposed to extend their arms as far beyond their scope, but within lawful means, as possible.

At the end of the day, it’s all just a matter of being quick to respond to predicaments. After all, as the popular saying goes, we might all be in the same ocean, but we’re not in the same boat.