ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro and former ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio expressed grave concern over the worsening conditions in public schools amid the extreme heat.

Castro said as early as 2023 the Makabayan bloc filed House Bill 8550 mandating the return of the June-March school calendar to address this problem.

“What we are witnessing is the direct consequence of decades of government neglect of our public-school infrastructure,” Rep. Castro said.

“Our classrooms have become virtual ovens, with temperatures reaching dangerous levels that no child should have to endure while trying to learn. Hindi lang init ang problema, kundi ang kawalan ng sapat na pasilidad para maprotektahan ang ating mga mag-aaral at guro sa gitna ng climate crisis,” she added.

The lawmakers emphasized that the extreme heat has highlighted the long-standing issues plaguing the education sector, including severe classroom shortages, inadequate ventilation, and lack of health facilities.

“The temporary suspension of classes is merely a reactive measure that fails to address the root cause,” former Rep. Tinio pointed out.

“Ang kailangan natin ay komprehensibong solusyon, hindi band-aid solutions. Ang mga mag-aaral at guro ay nagdurusa araw-araw dahil sa kapabayaan ng gobyerno na maglaan ng sapat na pondo para sa dekalidad na imprastraktura ng edukasyon,” he explained.

Castro also highlighted the urgent need to pass House Bill 6398 or the Safe and Healthy Facilities for Educational Institutions Act, which she authored.

“Hindi na maaaring ipagpaliban pa ang pagpapatupad ng mga hakbang para masiguro ang kaligtasan at kalusugan ng ating mga mag-aaral at guro,” Castro stressed.

“We need immediate action to address the 250,000-classroom shortage, provide proper ventilation systems, and ensure that every school has functioning clinics with trained health personnel,” she further explained.

The lawmakers also called for the immediate release of sufficient Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses funds to schools for emergency cooling measures and the fast-tracking of the construction of climate-resilient classrooms.

“The Marcos Jr. administration must prioritize education not just in rhetoric but in actual budget allocation,” Castro said.

“Kailangan nating ibalik ang June-March school calendar habang hindi pa nasosolusyunan ang mga problemang ito. This is why we in the Makabayan bloc have filed HB 8550,” she added.

The lawmakers called on the public to support their campaign for better school infrastructure and the return to the June-March school calendar to protect students and teachers from the extreme heat.