By Merlina Hernando-Malipot The Department of Education (DepEd) said on Monday that over five million learners in more than 5,000 schools in 46 divisions under three regions are affected by the Taal volcano eruption over the weekend. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila/DEPED/MANILA BULLETIN) In a Jan. 13 Education Cluster Report, DepEd said 5, 942, 724 learners in 5, 395 schools are affected by the eruption. Classes have been declared suspended at all levels in the National Capital Region (NCR), Region III, and Region IV-A. DepEd also said 14 schools in three divisions under Region IV-A are being used as evacuation centers, with 13 classrooms in these schools housing 212 families or 736 individuals. DepEd: Report affected schools DepEd also urged its personnel and other stakeholders to help track and monitor schools that are affected by the ash fall from the eruption. “We are receiving information of many areas affected by ash fall as a result of Taal Volcano's eruption yesterday, and we are aware of the threat it poses to our school buildings,” DepEd Undersecretary for Administration Alain Del Pascua said. “Please help us identify them by posting photos of schools affected by the ash fall and include the hashtag #SchoolPatrolPH.” DepEd said it has already deployed the staff of its Disaster Risk Reduction Management Service (DRRMS) to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Operations Center. The DepEd DRRMS will also “continue to monitor” updates from the Philippine Volcanology and Seismology Institute (Philvolcs) and coordinate with regions and divisions on class suspensions and other effects of the eruption, and “immediately deploy response interventions” such as hygiene kits and clean-up funds to affected areas. Likewise, DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones, in DepEd Memorandum No. 001 s. 2020, announced the suspension of classes and DepEd work on Jan. 13 in the areas affected by the eruption. Earlier, the Office of the President, through Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo, announced the suspension of classes in all levels in both public and private schools, as well as work in government in the affected areas of Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon), National Capital Region, and Central Luzon. “Suspension of work in private schools by their respective school administrations, in the same affected areas, is highly encouraged by the Office of the President for the safety of their teaching and non-teaching personnel as well,” Briones said in the memo.