AT least five public school students were rushed to the hospital on Wednesday amid extreme hot weather conditions, made worse by congestion as parents formed a massive crowd outside the Antipolo National High School in Antipolo City.
According to reports reaching the Department of Education (DepEd), 22 students reportedly suffered dizziness and difficulty in breathing, five of whom were rushed to hospitals.
The names of the affected students remain unavailable as of this writing.
Following the incident, the principals of three adjacent public schools — Antipolo National High School (ANHS), Sta. Cruz Elementary School and Antipolo City Senior High School, have been instructed to explain the massive crowd of parents and students that gathered around the school premises in Barangay Sta. Cruz as classes opened.
Antipolo City Mayor Jun Ynares III for his part ordered an investigation into the incident, even as he noted a local policy on the entry and exit points in schools, as well as a rerouting scheme designed to prevent traffic congestion.
Despite an approved system in place, Ynares said “it seemed the policy was not followed, adding neither the city government nor the barangay was informed that a Parents-Teachers Association meeting at the ANHS would take place.
“We have almost 12,000 students in ANHS alone. The number was doubled or tripled, that’s why there was a huge crowd at the time,” Ynares explained.
“The event coincided with the change between the morning and afternoon shifts. Thousands experienced difficulty in entering and going out of the school,” Ynares quipped.
