By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Department of Education (DepEd) Negros Occidental Schools Division said students are no longer required to wear school uniforms while attending classes as temperatures continue to soar due to the El Niño phenomenon.

DepEd-NegOcc spokesperson Ian Arnold Arnaiz said public school students in the province are now allowed to wear more comfortable clothes.

Arnaiz cited DepEd Order No. 65, series of 2010, which states that the wearing of school uniforms is no longer required for students to prevent additional expenses for parents.

Although the wearing of civilian attire is now allowed, Arnaiz reminded the students that they should wear decent clothes inside the school premises.

The Negros Occidental High School (NOHS) in Bacolod City first announced that their students are allowed to wear civilian clothes due to intense heat while attending classes.

In a memorandum, NOHS principal Josette Terorra said their students are permitted to wear more comfortable clothes.

However, students are allowed to wear white, light-colored and lightweight shirts that conform with the school’s dress code.

Boys must still wear their regular khaki pants, while girls must wear their maroon skirts.

Terorra also advised their students to avoid longer exposure to the sun, avoid any strenuous activities, and drink water regularly to avoid heat-related illnesses.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), in their weather advisories, said the heat index has increased.

The heat index, also known as the apparent temperature, represents how the heat is actually felt in the human body, when relative humidity is combined with air temperature.

Pagasa said Bacolod City’s heat index reached 40 degrees Celsius yesterday.

The city and some parts of Negros Occidental will continue to experience high temperatures until today, it added./DGB, WDJ