All Quiet on the Eastern Front

It’s almost 7 a.m. but the highway outside two adjacent public schools on Iligan City’s eastern side — Sta. Filomena Central School and Iligan City East National High School — is eerily quiet on Friday (14 August 2026), except for a passing runner and a few motorists. The city government of Iligan has suspended classes, now on its third day, from “kindergarten to Grade 12, both public and private schools … due to the persistently high heat index” brought about by the El Niño phenomenon. PAGASA forecasts heat index in the city at 43ºC. MindaNews photo by BOBBY TIMONERA