Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has ordered the suspension of all classes in Negros Occidental on Friday, January 13, to ensure the safety of students amidst continuous heavy rainfall.
Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez also extended the suspension of classes in all elementary and high schools in Bacolod City to Friday.
Lacson in Executive Order No. 23-02, Series of 2023 suspended classes at all levels provincewide starting 4 p.m. on Thursday to 11:59 p.m. Friday.
However, the majority of the Negros Occidental town and city mayors had issued orders suspending classes for the whole day Thursday.
Lacson said he ordered the suspension of classes “in order to protect our students whose health and safety are at risk in times of calamities”.
Negros Occidental will remain on blue alert until the weather improves, he also said.
All City and Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Offices are directed to maintain their Blue Alert Status and conduct pre-emptive evacuation if necessary, he added.
The governor recalled that continuous rains in Negros Occidental from Jan. 1 to 8, 2021 affected 98 barangays with 41,584 families consisting of 183,512 individuals. There were also three casualties and 1,641 houses damaged, he noted.*