Cebu schools to resume classes amid quake aftershocks; Youth groups call for full suspension

Following the 6.9 magnitude earthquake in Bogo City, Cebu schools resumed classes for only a day and are planning to continue through online or asynchronous activities amid ongoing aftershocks and devastation among grieving families, Kabataan Kontra Korapsyon said in a unity statement on Oct. 1, Wednesday.

Over a hundred groups have signed the statement supporting the call for a “full suspension of classes in all forms” after the quake, which left over 70 people dead, displaced thousands of residents who are now sleeping on the streets, and collapsed buildings and roads.

“In the face of this devastation, it is alarming that schools have only suspended classes for a day and are now considering a mere shift to online or asynchronous modalities. This is gravely inadequate,” the unity statement of youth formations in Cebu remarked.

Some localities such as Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City, Talisay City, and other northern municipalities in Cebu announced class suspensions only for October 1 for safety inspections, while some areas planned to resume classes, raising concerns among students and their families.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported that aftershocks could continue for the next several days after reporting at least 3,000 recorded so far, 15 of which were actually felt by people.

“We, the youth and students of Cebu, firmly assert that classes in all forms must be fully suspended until the requisites of safety and welfare are met. This means ensuring that school buildings, dormitories, and workplaces have been properly inspected and declared safe.” the statement further cited.

The youth’s statement also highlighted that students are still grappling with grief and the loss of homes, and that the resumption of academic responsibilities adds further burden.

“Tremors were felt across the province and neighboring regions, followed by heavy rains that raised fears of flooding and landslides…Safety cannot be reduced to changing class platforms while infrastructures remain unassessed, while students remain displaced and traumatized, and while many communities lack stable internet or electricity to begin with.”

The statement also pointed out the systemic impact of corruption and neglect on infrastructure which were left weak, unfinished, and unsafe.

“This crisis has exposed how corruption and chronic neglect have left our infrastructures weak, our hospitals unfinished, and our schools unsafe,” they said, adding that “the cracks we see in our buildings are also the cracks in a rotten system that prioritizes profit and patronage over the lives of the people.”

An 18-year-old Bogo resident, Diane Madrigal, who is currently staying at a small chapel, was among those whose houses were destroyed.

“The entire wall (of my house) fell so I really don’t know how and when we can go back again,” Madrigal said in an interview with ABS-CBN. “I am still scared of the aftershocks up to now, it feels like we have to run again.”

Phivolcs revealed that the powerful 6.9 quake was suddenly triggered by a fault long thought dormant and untouched for centuries.