Authorities are now adopting measures to ensure the public’s protection from extreme heat.
The Department of Education has empowered school heads to cancel or suspend in-person classes and shift to “alternative delivery modes” when their health and safety are endangered.
“Given that DepEd supervises more than 47,000 schools nationwide, it is in the best interest of the learning community to have localized assessments for timely response and interventions to ensure the welfare of learners and personnel,” the department said in separate memoranda.
The Supreme Court, on the other hand, has allowed trial court judges and personnel nationwide to adopt a flexible work arrangement starting today until May 31 due to “dangerous heat indices” being experienced in the country.
In a circular issued by Court Administrator Raul B. Villanueva, the tribunal said that trial court judges and personnel can work from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays while Saturday duty in the trial courts will be from 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon.
“Executive judges shall act on petitions for bail and other urgent matters on Saturday afternoons after 12 noon and on Sundays, official holidays, and special days, when exceptional circumstances warrant,” Villanueva said.
According to him, the SC adopted the flexible work arrangement in the trial courts “to prevent health complications that may be caused by the extreme heat and weather conditions.”
The heat index measures the temperature that a person feels, and is computed based on air temperature and humidity, according to Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
Meanwhile, Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. on Thursday directed prison officials to ensure adequate water supply for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) in all penal institutions nationwide to prevent dehydration amid the scorching heat.
Catapang also instructed Senior Supt. Ma. Cecilia Villanueva, acting director for Health and Welfare Services and head of the New Bilibid Prison Hospital, to do regular rounds to check on the status of PDLs.
“Our facilities are congested and due to the extreme heat that we are experiencing, our PDLs have suffered the most, so I want to check on them,” Catapang said in a statement.
The BuCor said a health advisory has been issued to all concerned prison and penal farm officials to ensure the implementation of health programs, services, and provision of medicines, including supplements, to prevent diseases and other health conditions among PDLs.
Prison officials were also advised to maintain a healthy lifestyle and to be watchful for signs and symptoms of diseases prevalent during summer.
In a related development, some 600 prisoners in various jails in Metro Manila are reportedly developing skin conditions such as scabies and boils due to the intense heat, the chief of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology said Thursday.
BJMP chief Ruel Rivera said the bureau has coordinated with the Department of Health and hired more doctors to address the problem. He also said jail nurses are on duty to attend to the concerns of the PDLs all day.
Scabies can spread through sustained skin-to-skin contact with an infected person, while boils or carbuncles can be acquired from someone who has either the infection or a staph infection.
Aside from boils and scabies, some PDLs are also suffering from sore eyes due to the heat, Rivera said.
The jail official said the BJMP has provided additional electric fans and installed air shafts inside jails.
Rivera urged BJMP regional directors to help PDLs get frequent baths to fight off the intense heat.
The official added that efforts were ongoing to decongest jail facilities nationwide.