Suspensions

Our country, the Philippines, is prone to calamities. Because of its location on the "Pacific Ring of Fire" and along the Pacific typhoon belt, the country is exposed to a series of natural disasters. Most of these disasters are caused by typhoons.

Typhoons deliver high winds and rain, which can cause significant damage to the point of location. The Philippines is struck by an average of 20 typhoons every year, with five of them being severe. Because typhoons are so dangerous, schools frequently announce suspensions so that children can prepare for them or stay safe in their homes. These remedies taken by the government to protect its citizens are good and beneficial, but what if they are overdone or occur too frequently?

Typhoons frequently strike the country, causing the government to become more alert of the problem and take precautions to prevent major harm to its residents. However, typhoon readings can be wrong, so classes are suspended even if the storm appears to deviate from the prior forecast. Suspensions should not be carried out, according to that statement, if the weather appears to be less dangerous than reported in the press or on social media. While this is true, it is more appropriate to cancel classes when a storm is forecast to hit a specific place.

Typhoons are quite unpredictable, forming in unexpected areas and more irregularly, therefore the government is merely being careful when it orders a suspension from class for a period of time. They prepare for any typhoon anomalies by taking countermeasures. They forecast possible storm paths and cancel classes just in case the storm changes route. Even if the wind isn't blowing or there isn't a drop of rain falling, if they believe the storm could potentially strike a specific location, it's best to cancel courses to be safe.

I recall our school suspending our classes for how many times when I was still in high school. Yes, we are delighted when our school announces a class suspension because we prefer to stay in our homes. However, there are occasions when, regardless of how heavy the rain is, the school does not cancel classes since the rain does not reach the level required to cancel our class, which is signal #2. I'm not sure why they wait for the alarm of signal #2 to be announced before suspending classes, knowing that the typhoon is incredibly strong.

Although it isn't ideal for students to miss lessons, the government's top concern will always be the security and well-being of its citizens. They would not risk the lives of the people they govern over a few missed topics in class that they can discuss at any time, but some people appear to object to it because suspensions occur when the storm does not affect their location and countermeasures are made solely on the basis of their predicted outcome with no basis.

I agree that these kinds of announcements are inconvenient and take up a lot of valuable study time, but if there's a chance that an area will be affected and damaged, it's more justified to cancel classes even if there are no signs of the typhoon, rather than risking the lives of students if the possibility becomes true, and we can all agree that life is more valuable than education. I'm not suggesting it's okay to ignore education, but if you're willing to risk your life for it, it's better to skip it.