FREELANCER: No Class No Work Advisory, Telco Posts

Once again, we at NDB would like to thank our netizen-followers and readers who keep sending their unsolicited support, acknowledging, appreciating, and thanking us for some updates and for accommodating their concerns and requests through our FB page, newspaper platform, and website.

Your encouragement and suggestions help us to improve and deliver what you, the general public, want to know.

It’s true. We have not registered our FB page for monetization. We prefer not to for some reasons.

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Telecom towers need replacement.

It’s not only me who noticed that there are lots of poles and posts in Bacolod belonging to telecommunications companies, especially the wooden ones, that need to be replaced.

Just recently, some of these either leaned so close to the road or even suddenly fell down that city and Negros Power crew have responded to.

While electric posts as well as power lines are being massively replaced and fortified by Negros Power, the aging posts for telephone lines, fiber and cable wires must also be replaced before another one falls to the ground.

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Advisories.

As early as Sunday afternoon, several local government units in Negros Occidental already declared suspension of classes, and even work, for the next day, Monday. They based their decisions on the recommendations of their respective Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office which were also closely monitoring the weather forecasts of PAGASA.

Most of the LGUs that declared the suspension early were those from the southern parts of the province that experienced daily rainfall. NDB posted those advisories as soon as they came in until late Sunday night.

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Yesterday a little past 6 o’clock in the morning, the national office of the Department of Interior and Local Government through its FB Page posted a “belated” advisory that classes in all levels, private and public, and work in government offices are suspended in several provinces including Negros Occidental and of course, Bacolod City.

I did not immediately share it but took some time to get verifications, after which we shared the advisory on our platforms.

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By the time the DILG posted that advisory, which was subsequently verified and also shared by other LGUs that had no intention to suspend classes or work, many students, parents and teachers were already in the schools.

Worst, some parents who were already back home after bringing their young children to school, had to rush up again to fetch their kids.

Much worse, weather was so fine yesterday, at least in Bacolod City, until around 3 p.m., although at 2 p.m. yesterday a friend in southern Negros told me it was raining there.

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Before 3 p.m. yesterday, DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla issued a statement about the delay in the issuance of the advisory:

“The weather system was passing Bicol and Visayas. Pero mayroon palang weather system up north. 3 a.m., na-realize na nag-deviate na siya ng course. Nabasa ko siya at 5 a.m., paggising ko. Ginawa ko talaga sa pinakamaagang panahon. Pero, huli na ‘yung information dumating sa’kin. I usually get it right… kasi I get the information beforehand. But ito talaga nag-iba ang weather pattern.”

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These only remind us that the weather is still unpredictable. Despite the advances in technology, weather sattelites and radars, monitored parameters, factors being monitored and using as basis what they call weather models, weather forecasting cannot really tell what will happen in the next few or several hours – will it really rain so hard, or not at all. The weather changes in a matter of a few hours.

PAGASA lacks local monitoring equipment and observatories in many provinces like ours.

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Yesteday’s scenario also reminded us that, perhaps, there is a need to review the policy that DILG has the say on whether to suspend or not the classes and work.

Although under the current set-up the LGUs still has the say to suspend classes and work even if it is not included in the advisory the DILG issued, it must also allow the LGUs to decide not to suspend even if such LGU is included in the advisory.

For me, it is better left to the province or the LGU the decision to suspend classes. The decision to suspend must be placed under the shoulders of the local government units who can supplement weather forecast with the actual scenario.* (APT)