Philippines Maintains Class Cessation Due to Extreme Heat Wave

May 2, 2024 Hour: 6:13 pm

In the Philippines, the heat wave does not decrease its incidence in the Asian country, therefore, the government of Manila maintained the closure of schools so as not to expose infants and young people to extreme temperatures that have reached 48 degrees.

RELATED:

Kenya: Death Toll From Flooding Rises to Nearly 190

Manila City Council announced on Facebook the suspension of classes in public primary and secondary schools for two days in the face of the heat wave and suggested “alternative modes of teaching”, in reference to online classes and other offline methods.

The entity indicated that private schools and universities can make the decision they see fit, although it advised them to suspend classes.

Heat waves have also wreaked havoc in recent weeks in other countries in the region such as Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, where humidity exacerbates high temperatures. To the heat of these dates in Southeast Asia, aggravated in recent years by the climate crisis, is added the cyclical and natural phenomenon of El Niño, which brings more dryness and heat.

Huge number of heat records in Southeast Asia lately.

VIETNAM �� tied its national April record with 44.0°C (Tương Dương)

LAOS ��broke all-time national record with 43.6°C (Tha Ngon & Seno)

PHILIPPINES �� Manila metro all-time record exceeded with 38.8°C

[THREAD] pic.twitter.com/rVH6UPoipn

— Scott Duncan (@ScottDuncanWX)
May 1, 2024

Climatologist Ko Barrett, assistant secretary of the World Meteorological Organization, said, “Extreme heat is increasingly becoming the great silent killer”.

“Heat-related mortality is very underreported, so the true magnitude of premature deaths and economic costs, in terms of reduced labor productivity, agricultural losses and power grid voltage, is not accurately reflected in the statistics,” she added.