DepED expects enrolment

To decline in SY 2026-‘27

TAGBILARAN CITY Bohol (PIA)—The Department of Education (DepED) Division of Bohol sees a 0.9 percent reduction in enrolment for school year 2026-2027, and it has nothing to do with learners dropping out.

For reasons not related to how school authorities handle schools, enrolment this school year should be declining with some 7000 less, and that is because there are fewer kids getting to kindergarten than before.

“Maybe it has something to do with family planning,” DepED Bohol schools Division superintendent Dr. Fay Luarez shared over at Kapihan sa PIA.

DepED Bohol Values Education Program Supervisor and Information Officer Lope Hubac shared the same observation.

“We have been going around schools supervising, and one thing became clear, we used to have full kindergarten classes. Now it is only about three or four kids,” Dr Luarez pointed out.

Last school year 2025-2026, enrolment at DepED Bohol reached 301,962 learners from public and private schools kindergarten to Grade 12 in senior high school.

But for DepED, despite a low turn-out in enrolment, bot officials are happy to announce that of the few enrolled in the province’s kindergarten

This year, the division only expects 294,962 learners participating school, authorities said.

And if the declining enrolment is becoming a concern, with class orientations starting Monday, June 8, a physical report from the division office says the schools have managed to get 188,494 of the 294,962 expected enrolees.

As of July 4 at 8:05 AM, there are 111,203 pupils enrolled in the public elementary schools, 44,329 in Junior High Schools and 15,804 in the public school’s Senior High School, for a sum of 171,336 enrolees, according to the school’s superintendent.

This is 62.56 percent of the total expected enrolment.

In the private schools, as of the beginning of the third day of enrolment, private schools also reported 4,711 enrolled in the elementary schools, 9,241 enrolled in the Junior High School and 3,206 in the senior High Schools.

That makes a total of 17,157 enrolees in the private institutions, or some 47.26 percent of the expected number.

To this, Dr. Luarez urged parents and students to be enrolled within the week, as those who enrol late as class schedules would immediately start on Monday.

Even with the potential decline, Division of Bohol officials have good news to take that with.

While there are fewer kids getting enrolled in kindergarten, what we are very thankful of is that, based on the academic performance last year, kids getting to the elementary schools are better trained.

“In their performance, based on the assessment that we gave them, we saw they got a better educational foundation,” the superintendent bared. (PIAbohol)

TRIUMPH IN EDUCATION? For years, the government has been campaigning for responsible family planning and apparently, this has its fruits now that DepEd is seeing fewer kids getting to kindergarten. Bohol is set to experience decline of about 7,000 learners, which could technically ease up the perennial problem of lack of classrooms in schools. (PIABohol)

PDRRMC adopts BA-BSWM,

OPA ‘cloud-seeding stand’

TAGBILARAN CITY Bohol (PIA)—The Provincial Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council (PRDDRC) adopts the stand of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) and the Bureau of Soils and Water Management of the Department of Agriculture (DA), on cloud seeding, considering it as one of the necessary and proven activities to mitigate the effects of the El Niño to local agriculture.

In its most recent full council meeting held at the Capitol Ceremonial Hall, the council, presided over by Provincial Administrator Asteria Caberte for Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado, listened to the presentation of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA) on the increasing probability of the strong to very strong El Nino by the end of the year.

Using its April 20, 2026 data, citing conditions in the tropical Pacific, PAG-ASA, through its weather forecaster Leonardo Samar noted the oceanic indicator where the “sea surface temperature (SST) was registering near to below-average in the near central to far-western Pacific Ocean while above average SST was noted just west of the dateline and in the far eastern Pacific.”

“For this, El Niño is 79 percent likely to emerge as early as June-July-August and could persist until early 2027,” he added.

In its El Niño Southern Oscillation Strength Outlook, while there is 79% probability of a 0.5 degrees increase in SST in June to August, it would be 87% probably by July-August to September season.

In fact, by August-September to October season, there is 63 percent probability that the SST gets 1.0 degrees above normal, based on the state weather bureau climate model data.

The sea surface temperature probability of getting 1.0 degree higher than normal is 77 percent probable on October to January 2027.

In PAG-ASA’s rainfall forecast until October, Samar pointed out that May had 137.8 millimeters of rain, which would be reduced to 95.3 mm by June, 92.4 mm by July and 83.1 mm by August.

In September, using the same climate model, there would be near normal rainfall at 122.5 mm of rains, while the weather bureau predicts an 84 mm of rains by October.

In the clear absence of rain, the PDRRMC, noting the effect this deals on the agricultural productivity has already set aside funds to be used for inducing rains.

In fact, since El Niño recurs between 2 to 7 years, the Provincial Government of Bohol through the OPA and the PDRRMC has each apportioned funds for the conduct of cloud seeding operations, which proved to be critical in salvaging what could have been totally lost crops in the past.

However, authorities have been cautious recently about floating the idea of a cloud seeding to bring in the rains, as the Presidential Communications Office reported that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in a multi-sectoral meeting in preparation for the El Nino in 2024, directed government agencies to strengthen preparations and adopt science-based responses to the expected drought.

In reports, PCO said while cloud seeding was only one of several measures under consideration, the Palace emphasized a “protocol-based and scientific” approach to mitigating El Niño impacts.

In the Philippines, requests for cloud seeding follow a formal inter-agency process involving the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM), Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the requesting local government unit (LGU), the Office of Civil Defense from which the PDRRM falls under and the Philippine Air Force, which implements the operational flights.

An LGU, or the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Unit which determines the drought based on water levels of reservoirs, crop damage and requests from LGUS or farmer associations, initiates the request to BSWM.

In return, the BSWM conducts a Joint Area Assessment with the requesting party and DA regional offices to determine severity of drought conditions, target areas, availability of seedable clouds, the expected benefits to agriculture or water supply.

The assessment team would also check on the meteorological evaluation by PAGASA to see if cloud-seeding conditions exits and the atmospheric conditions are favourable.

If such pass muster, the BSWM can release the funds while the LGU can also put up counterpart funds for the entire operation.

This is also when the locally allocated funds forms as a leverage for prioritization in the operations, according to sources. (PIAbohol)

INITIATING MITIGATION. With the projected below normal rains within this cropping season and the potential damage this can lend to rice crops, this early, the PDRRMC has readied its resources and the technical requirements for a request for cloud seeding, which is seen as the only viable option to salvage crops and eke out a harvest. (PIAbohol)