THE PHILIPPINE Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA stressed that the local government units and school officials have the final say in issuing extreme heat protocols.

“At the moment, we recommend that the recipients of heat-related information provided by PAGASA should have the final say on the decision-making process guided by the information they received from the agency,” the agency said.

PAGASA’s statement came after Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua recommended that the weather agency set rules on work and class cancellations due to extreme heat.

Many schools have been canceling onsite classes due to the heat index forecast from PAGASA.

The weather bureau said it appreciates the trust and confidence of the stakeholders.

PAGASA has been providing heat index, or what the temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature, monitored in the past five days and the forecast heat index for the next two days.

It welcomes the suggestion to tailor such information in the decision-making process, such as an extreme heat protocol relevant to school activities.

“The agency’s technical working group on heat index operational issuance is exploring methods and resources to address challenges in the availability of data,” it said.