By Len Transporte
Pasig City may be getting weather-related class suspensions technically right, but government officials should also account for the anxiety that delayed decisions create for parents and families, according to University of the Philippines Diliman psychology professor and Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Anna Cristina Tuazon.
In her Aug. 13 “Safe Space” column titled “Curious case of Pasig City class suspensions,” Tuazon examined Pasig’s approach to suspending classes during bad weather and argued that accurate forecasting alone may not be enough. (Opinion )
While the city’s system may correctly determine when suspensions are necessary, Tuazon said the waiting period before an announcement can leave parents grappling with uncertainty over their children’s safety, transportation and schedules.
“The current system works but it feels incomplete. While there is a plan for rainfall, we also need a plan for uncertainty,” Tuazon wrote.
The professor acknowledged that weather conditions can change quickly and that local governments cannot always make suspension decisions far in advance.
But when an early announcement is not possible, she said officials can still improve crisis communication by recognizing the difficulty families face while waiting for a decision and making clear that their concerns are being considered.
The issue, she suggested, is not merely whether the government eventually makes the correct call, but how it communicates with constituents while circumstances remain unsettled.
Providing timely context and acknowledging the uncertainty, Tuazon argued, could help ease the burden on parents who must make their own decisions about commuting, childcare and safety while waiting for official word.
“While the decision understandably cannot come earlier, we need to accompany constituents not just through the storm but through the uncertainty,” she wrote.—Politiko.com.ph
