The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) has called on the Department of Education (DepEd) to reassert its authority over the governance of basic education following several announcements from local governments extending the suspension of classes.
COCOPEA legal counsel Joseph Noel Estrada said that while local government units (LGUs) have the power to promote the general welfare of their constituents, they remain subject to national laws and policies set by the DepEd.
“The governance of basic education is primarily lodged by law to DepEd. The Secretary of Education is the alter ego of the President,” Estrada said in a Facebook post.
“Local governments operate under the framework of national laws and policies. They are interdependent with the national government and subordinate to its authority,” he added.
DepEd earlier warned that prolonged suspension of classes could hinder students’ learning and development. The warning came after Laguna Governor Sol Aragones ordered the suspension of face-to-face classes in all schools across the province until October 31 to strengthen disaster preparedness measures.
However, the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) chose to continue face-to-face classes, announcing that examinations, laboratory work, and courses requiring physical participation would proceed as scheduled. The university instead scheduled a campus-wide earthquake drill from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. today.
Meanwhile, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has pledged to assist DepEd in improving schools’ disaster preparedness and structural safety following a series of recent earthquakes.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) will conduct training sessions for teachers and school officials to enhance earthquake readiness through proper hazard information and risk assessment.
Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. met with Education Secretary Sonny Angara in Makati on Tuesday to discuss preparations for “the Big One,” a potential magnitude 7.2 earthquake that could strike Metro Manila.
Angara emphasized the need for close coordination between DepEd and Phivolcs, proposing the creation of a DepEd Command Center to monitor natural hazards and strengthen safety protocols in schools.
