CLASS SUSPENSION, October 17, 2025

Here’s the situation for Friday, October 17, 2025 (tomorrow) in the Philippines: it’s not a nationwide holiday—but several areas/LGUs and schools have suspended face-to-face classes (some shifted to distance/alternative modes). 

Quezon Province: Public and private schools at all levels will suspend classes on October 16–17 due to a spike in flu-like illnesses in local communities. 

Laguna Province: The governor ordered suspension of face-to-face classes from October 14 to 31 for all levels (public and private). 

Cavite: Local executive orders call for no on-site classes from October 15 to 18. 

Lyceum of the Philippines University — Manila: Declared no classes on October 17–18, giving students and staff a “health break” to recover from rising illness cases. 

Multiple overlapping issues are driving these suspensions. They include:

1. Rise in Influenza-Like Illnesses (ILI) / Flu Season

One of the primary reasons cited by many LGUs is the seasonal increase in flu-like illnesses. As the “-ber” months approach, respiratory infections tend to rise. The risk of transmission is higher in densely packed classrooms. 

However, health authorities caution that while cases have increased, they do not consider the situation to be an outbreak. DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa clarified that the current levels of influenza-like illnesses have not breached outbreak thresholds; they reflect the normal seasonal trend. 

Philippine News Agency

2. Earthquakes & Safety / Structural Checks

Recent seismic activity has also played a role. After a series of earthquakes, several local governments and DepEd offices instituted class suspensions to allow:

• Structural safety inspections of school buildings
• Repairs or damage assessments
• Mitigation of risk to learners and staff should more tremors occur

For example, in Metro Manila, DepEd NCR cited earthquake effects and rising influenza cases as reasons for class suspensions. 

Moreover, in Mindanao, strong earthquakes (notably in Davao Oriental) caused damage to infrastructure, including school buildings in affected areas, prompting suspension of operations. 

3. Health Breaks and Preventive Measures

Some institutions refer to these suspensions as “health breaks.” The logic is to:

• Give time for symptomatic students, staff, or teachers to rest and recover
• Prevent further spread of illness in school communities
• Reduce burden on health facilities by slowing transmission

Lyceum Manila, for example, cited this rationale when suspending classes for two days. 

Manila Bulletin

Furthermore, shifting to alternative learning modes (online, modular, remote) is common during these suspension periods.