“It’s Really Hot Here”: Philippines Schools Go Online Due to Extreme Heat Wave

On Wednesday, hundreds of schools in the Philippines canceled in-person sessions due to the extreme heat, and authorities warned the public to stay inside as much as possible.
March, April, and May are usually the warmest and driest months in the archipelago country, but El Nino has made things much worse this year.

“It’s so hot you can’t breathe,” said 60-year-old Erlin Tumaron, who works at a beach resort in Cavite province, south of Manila. On Tuesday, the heat index hit 47 degrees Celsius, or 117 degrees Fahrenheit.

Our pools are surprisingly deserted. People are hesitant to leave their houses due to the heat, which is surprising since you would think they would come and swim.

On Wednesday, at least 30 towns and municipalities were predicted by the official weather forecaster to have a heat index reaching the “danger” threshold of 42 °C or above.

By factoring in humidity, the heat index determines how hot a given temperature really is.

Almost 6,700 schools canceled in-person sessions on Wednesday, according to the Department of Education, which is in charge of over 47,600 institutions.

Ana Solis, head climatologist at the state weather forecaster, stated that there was a 50% possibility that the heat would worsen in the next few days.

“We need to limit the time we spend outdoors, drink plenty of water, and bring umbrellas and hats when going outdoors,” AFP said.

El Nino, according to Solis, is to blame for the “extreme heat” that has gripped large portions of the nation.

Officially, half of the provinces in the nation are experiencing drought.

“This place is scorching.”

On Tuesday, the northern municipality of Aparri saw the country’s highest heat index of 48C, and Wednesday was predicted to reach 45C.

Maximum temperatures of 36.4 °C (97.5 °F) were recorded on Tuesday, with Wednesday’s forecast indicating temperatures of 35 °C.

“It’s really hot here,” local disaster agency official Eric Vista told AFP.

The weather was “back to being super hot” on Wednesday, despite a brief rain shower on Tuesday night, according to Vista.

More than 400 institutions in Manila’s capital city had to resort to online classes due to the extreme heat. Tuesday had a heat index of 45 degrees Celsius, while Wednesday was predicted to reach 44 degrees.

The city reached a real high of 37.1 °C on Tuesday.

A government official named Mary Ann Gener said that those working inside the Occidental Mindoro province, which is now experiencing a drought, were able to endure the heat quite well.

“But it’s terrible for those outside,” added the woman.

The moment you go outside, a pounding headache hits you. Hydration is really essential.

Edz Alteros, a university employee in Dagupan City, north of Manila, complained that the heat had rendered lunch out of the question for her and her coworkers.

On Tuesday, the heat index hit 47 degrees Celsius.

“Someone buys food and we eat in the office,” Alteros, who is 27 years old, said.

“The air conditioning is set at 14–18 °C during the hottest part of the day, but we ease up at other times to prevent the air conditioning from breaking down.”

The United Nations’ weather and climate organization said on Tuesday that Asia was warming at a particularly fast rate, adding to the record-high temperatures set worldwide last year.

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One of the nations that will be hit the hardest by climate change is the Philippines.