Classes in Mati suspended due to ‘ongoing structural assessments’

MATI CITY, Davao Oriental (MindaNews / 15 Oct) — All face-to-face classes in public schools here have been suspended from Oct. 15 to 17 due to “ongoing structural assessments” after a series of earthquakes shook Davao Oriental since Friday last week.

A student in Mati City works on her lessons from home as classes are suspended because of the earthquake. Photo by Peterine F. Marcos / DepEd City of Mati

In a Facebook post Tuesday afternoon, the local government of Mati City released executive order (EO) number 27 mandating the suspension of face-to-face classes within the territorial jurisdiction of the city.

Private schools were also “strongly encouraged” to adopt the measure “in the interest of public safety and welfare.”

For school year 2025-2026, the Schools Division of the City of Mati (SDO Mati) has a total of 72 schools, composed of 25 high schools which includes the integrated schools, and 47 elementary schools.

As of October 12, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRM) of Mati has identified 451 damaged school infrastructures.

Last Sunday, the city government also declared class suspensions in all levels on Monday and Tuesday for both private and public schools through EO 26 series of 2025.

The suspension, however, did not halt the pursuit of the education of the students.

In Facebook posts by DepEd Mati City on Monday and Tuesday, students from both elementary and high school continue to engage in flexible learning modalities.

Both modular and online classes were adopted by the teachers and students in aide of the pending classroom building assessments.

According to DepEd Order number 22 series of 2024, schools “shall implement modular distance learning, online distance learning, or blended learning, where feasible” in situations on face-to-face class suspensions.

Since October 12 until October 19, the Davao Oriental State University (DORSU) implemented online asynchronous classes and work-from-home arrangements for its students, faculty, and personnel in all its campuses throughout Davao Oriental.

DORSU is the city’s lone public tertiary school.

On Monday, the city was also declared under a state of calamity. 

Mati City is about 70 kilometers southwest of Manay, the town nearest to the epicenters of the recent offshore earthquakes.

The Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has recorded about 1,300 aftershocks since the magnitude 7.4 earthquake Friday last week. (Razl EJ Teman / MindaNews)