Manila: The Department of Education's (DepEd) Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service (DRRMS) announced that 9,009 public schools have suspended in-person classes due to the ongoing effects of the enhanced southwest monsoon, locally known as "habagat," and Tropical Depression Neneng.

According to Philippines News Agency, Central Luzon recorded the most significant number of suspensions among the affected 94 divisions, with 2,766 schools halting classes. Calabarzon followed with 2,659 schools, and Ilocos reported 1,811 suspensions. Meanwhile, Mimaropa accounted for 767, Cordillera for 425, Zamboanga Peninsula for 233, and Metro Manila for 204. Other regions affected include Western Visayas with 69 suspensions, Northern Mindanao with 59, Davao Region with 5, Soccsksargen with 4, Bicol with 3, Caraga with 2, and one school each in Cagayan Valley and Eastern Visayas.

At least 588 families or households are using schools as evacuation centers. The Incident Management Reporting System noted that 81 classrooms in 29 schools are serving as evacuation centers in selected areas. These include 13 schools in Pampanga, five in Valenzuela, and three in Malolos City. Additionally, two schools each in Dagupan City, Occidental Mindoro, Pasig, and Tarlac are temporarily sheltering displaced families and individuals.

The DRRMS recommended continuous monitoring among affected schools and DepEd field offices. Contingency plans and deployment of school DRRMS are advised to ensure safety and learning continuity. On Tuesday, DepEd revealed plans to revise measures for a more granular and school-level class resumption strategy to advance learning modalities and recover lost class time.