ILOILO CITY – Close to 500,000 students across Western Visayas were affected by the extreme heat that forced the suspension of face-to-face classes on Monday, April 1.

STUDENTS at the Iloilo Central Elementary School in Iloilo City. (Tara Yap)
“As of 3 p.m. on April 1, the total number is 494,681 students,” DepEd-6 Information Officer Hernani Escular Jr. said.
Negros Occidental province, including the capital of Bacolod City, had 331,117 students in 593 schools affected. The biggest chunk was in Bacolod City with 117,540 students affected.
In the regional capital of Iloilo City, there were 78,683 students affected in 66 schools.
In the island-province of Guimaras, 37,815 students in 96 schools, Roxas City, the capital of Capiz province, 32,169 in 50 schools, and Iloilo province, 14,717 in 35 schools.
Escular said the number may change as certain local government units across the region may extend the suspension of classes on Tuesday, April 2.
Not only local government units can suspend classes with mayors issuing an executive order but also school principals or school heads can decide.