The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, supported the call of various student councils in the city for an academic ease due to the alleged difficulties of students due to the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses in the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Pampanga, and other heavily affected provinces in Luzon.
In a resolution, city legislators stated that even if not all of the students are involved in the ongoing relief efforts in heavily devastated areas, the time for a break is much needed for them to settle their backlog of requirements and time of rest and healing.
Further, the council said that by having an academic ease or freeze, the said efforts could be maximized and most importantly is to allow the students enrolled in the different universities and colleges in the city to recover and be able to once again join and attend their online classes.
The council claimed that Typhoon Ulysses inflicted extensive damage to Luzon last week, whipping destructive winds and dumping torrential rainfall over a wide area, triggering extensive flooding in several areas, including the Bicol Region, Metro Manila and Cagayan Valley that led to further displacement and increase the hardships of vulnerable people that were previously devastated by Supertyphoon Rolly and the prevailing Corona Virus Disease (COVID) 2019.
According to the council, few days after the onslaught of the weather disturbance, various provinces in Luzon are still flooded and are continuously asking for help and assistance in recovery and relief operations specifically in the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, Rizal and other similarly affected provinces.
The council disclosed that given that in all universities and colleges in the city have a homogenous composition of students who come from different provinces all over the country, many are still unable to resume their online classes.
The council pointed out that in the city, there are students from the flood-stricken areas due to the typhoon and it is only proper for the higher education institutions to suspend the classes to ensure that the weight of online classes will not add to their anxiety, and for them to be able to focus more on rebuilding with their families.
The body emphasized that even if the schools will continue with their schedule of classes and excuse those affected students, it is clear that many of them will be left behind and their work load will only heavier and catching up with deadlines might be difficult on their part, especially after being affected by a calamity.
On the other hand, the council stipulated that it is clear that most of the youth are engaged with the ongoing relief efforts to help in the recovery of Cagayan, Isabela and Aurora as most of the relief efforts that are underway online are initiated by the youth, and it is clear that despite the online classes and pandemic, the youth are still playing a part when it comes to helping those who are in need.
By Dexter A. See
