* The Cebu Provincial Government will hold a forum on Oct. 20, 2026, to establish practical guidelines for class suspensions and learning continuity during periods of poor air quality.
* Gov. Pamela Baricuatro emphasized that localized class suspension decisions remain with respective mayors while providing an avenue for agencies, schools, experts, and parents to align on health evidence.
* EMB 7 reported recent "fair" AQI levels in Metro Cebu and explained that air quality advisories face a publication delay due to necessary equipment processing and data preparation.
AMID concerns over the health and safety of students during periods of poor air quality, the Cebu Provincial Government will hold a forum on air quality and class suspensions on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026.
The forum will be held at 3 p.m. at the Capitol Social Hall and will bring together mayors, medical experts, representatives from the Department of Education, Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), Department of Health, public and private schools and parent groups, according to the Cebu Province Public Information page on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026.
Gov. Pamela Baricuatro called for the forum to clarify which air quality readings should be used as a basis for suspending in-person classes and when schools should shift to other learning arrangements.
Learning continuity
The discussion will also cover how schools can continue learning activities safely during periods of unhealthy air quality and how government agencies can provide timely announcements to allow families and schools to prepare.
Baricuatro said decisions on localized class suspensions remain with the respective mayors, in coordination with education authorities and based on national policies.
“Ang ato mao ang paghatag og (Our goal is to provide an) avenue for everyone to discuss, understand the evidence and work towards practical guidelines,” Baricuatro said.
The forum is expected to allow government agencies, schools, health experts and parents to raise concerns and discuss possible guidelines for protecting students and communities during periods of poor air quality.
Metro Cebu’s air quality remained in the “fair” category as of 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 72, according to the EMB 7.
The reading was slightly higher than the AQI of 62 recorded at 7 a.m. and 65 at 11 a.m., both also classified as “fair.” Meanwhile, the EMB 7 monitoring station in Barangay Cabitoonan, Toledo City recorded an AQI of 14 as of 4 p.m., classified as “good.”
The Cabitoonan station recorded an AQI of 12 at 7 a.m., which slightly increased to 14 at 11 a.m. and remained at the same level at 4 p.m. These latest Metro Cebu readings are significantly lower than levels recorded earlier this month, when air quality reached the “very unhealthy” classification.
Reporting delays
EMB 7 said it uses 24-hour air quality data to compare with the applicable guideline value, which is based on a 24-hour averaging period. The agency made the clarification when asked why it does not release hourly air quality updates despite continuous monitoring data being available from its station in Talisay City.
The agency also explained that air quality advisories posted on its Facebook page may appear more than an hour after the indicated monitoring time. There is about a one-hour delay in extracting data because of the equipment’s data processing and another five to 10 minutes is needed by EMB 7 personnel to process the retrieved data and prepare the advisory for publication.
/ CDF, DPC