FACT CHECK: Friday classes in public schools not suspended amid massive oil price hikes

admin 10:19 PM

CLAIM: Memorandum Circular 114 cancels all classes every Friday starting March 2026.

 

RATING: FALSE

 

A fake graphic circulated on Facebook by multiple accounts falsely claimed that all classes in public schools every Friday have been suspended starting this March.

Flagged content: Multiple social media posts falsely claiming that the newly implemented government memorandum which mandates a four-day work week also applies to public school class schedules.

  • The post deliberately mimicked the official branding of the Department of Education (DepEd) through the use of its official seal.
  • Its caption also used hashtags related to legitimate DepEd programs such as “#DepEdMATATAG,” “#DepEdTayo” and “#DepEdPhilippines.”
  • One of the posts came from a page named “DepEd Tayo,” which is not the official Facebook page of the government’s education bureau.

Our Debunk: DepEd has made no announcements regarding the cancellation of Friday classes.

  • In a Facebook post made by education Sec. Sonny Angara, he clarified that the four-day work week directive of the president is limited to non-teaching and related-teaching personnel only.
  • Teachers are to continue their normal schedules to prevent learning interruption.
  • DepEd also issued a memorandum directing offices to adopt energy conservation protocols and flexible work arrangements

Rewind: On March 6, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. issued a national-level energy conservation policy that mandates a four-day onsite workweek for selected executive government agencies. 

  • It is designed as a contingency to mitigate the economic impact of rising fuel prices triggered by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Why we fact-checked this: Fake class cancellation announcements cause disruption, creating unnecessary inconvenience for students, their parents, teachers and other members of the education sector.

  • The posts have garnered 6,263 reactions, 700 comments, and over 2,000 shares on Facebook, while a similar post on TikTok has gained 678 reactions, 100 comments, 99 saves, and 389 shares with over 88,000 views.

Spot the Fake: Always cross-check when encountering posts like this.

  • Check with DepEd’s official outlets and other news platforms. Nikko Balbedina with reports from Amir Khalil C. Sioson


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