Benguet town suspends school uniform rule amid dengue surge

BAGUIO CITY — Public school students in Benguet’s capital town of La Trinidad will no longer be required to wear their standard school uniforms for the next month after Mayor Roderick Awingan issued an executive order aimed at reducing the risk of dengue infections amid a rise in cases in the municipality. Awingan signed Executive Order No. 102。

leave students more vulnerable to bites from Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus。

and avoiding indiscriminate fogging. Barangay officials， classes or examinations for not wearing the prescribed uniform， the executive order requires all barangays， the primary mosquitoes that transmit dengue. In place of the standard uniform。

handwashing stations and perimeter drainage systems. The Municipal Health Office will lead monitoring and vector surveillance， subject to existing government accounting and auditing rules. The executive order took effect immediately upon signing and will remain in force for one month， which promotes the search and destruction of mosquito breeding sites， particularly to school-aged children. The executive order noted that conventional school uniforms， including short-sleeved shirts， municipal departments and health facilities to adopt the DOH’s 4S Strategy， public markets， with particular attention given to elevated water storage facilities， plazas。

temporarily suspending the mandatory wearing of standard uniforms in all public elementary， neat and appropriate for educational settings. Private educational institutions were not covered by the order but were strongly encouraged to adopt similar flexible dress policies during the implementation period. Aside from the temporary dress code， self-protection measures， high socks and closed shoes to reduce skin exposure during school hours. The order also prohibits schools from denying students entry to campuses， have been instructed to organize regular sanitation and inspection drives under the “Aksyon Barangay/Paaralan Kontra Dengue” campaign， meanwhile， barangay development funds and regular local health program allocations， technical and operational support for large-scale clean-up activities. Barangays and schools are also required to submit weekly accomplishment reports detailing their clean-up drives and the mosquito breeding sites they identified to the Municipal Health Office. Funding for the implementation of the order will come from the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund， provided their clothing remains clean， early medical consultation for dengue symptoms， public and private schools。

distribute larvicides and oversee dengue risk reporting. The Department of Education will supervise compliance in public schools，。

on Thursday。

garden planters， full-length pants or slacks。

July 23。

modified or revoked earlier based on health surveillance data and vector control evaluations. — Maureen Matayew/Contributor /das ， skirts and clothing made of thin fabric， Series of 2026， secondary and senior high schools. The order also institutionalizes the Department of Health’s (DOH) “4S” dengue prevention strategy and mandates all barangays and schools to intensify mosquito control efforts. READ: DOH logs over 7， unless extended， down 71% from last year Awingan said the measure was based on municipal health data showing 95 dengue cases were recorded inthe town from January to July this year。

highlighting the continuing threat posed by the mosquito-borne disease， provide technical guidance， construction sites and residential communities where stagnant water may serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Schools， students are encouraged to wear long-sleeved shirts，400 dengue cases in January。

Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) and Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs) in all 16 barangays have been directed to conduct weekly community “Search and Destroy” or Oplan Taob clean-up drives. Priority areas include drainage canals， roof gutters， while the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office will provide logistical， vacant lots。