‘BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY’: Mayor, guv double down on opposition to school opening

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

Both Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas and Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. doubled down on their stance against the reopening of classes in August 2020 amid the ongoing threat posed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque announced on May 9 that the national Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) approved the Department of Education’s (DepEd) proposal to open classes in Pre-school, Elementary and High School on August 24.

Roque also announced on May 14 that the IATF-EID had also adopted the recommendations by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), which were:

– Higher education institutions (HEIs) using full online education can open anytime;

– HEIs using online methods can open anytime in August 2020;

– HEIs using significant residential (face-to-face or in-person) mode can open not earlier than September 1, 2020 in areas under the general community quarantine (GCQ); and

– no residential (face-to-face or in-person) classes until August 31, 2020.

 

But the national government has yet to formally issue guidelines for the reopening of classes.

Treñas has adopted the DepEd and CHED’s proposals in Executive Order (EO) No. 075-B which was issued on May 20.

Defensor has yet to issue any EO on the reopening of classes, however, EO No. 118, which placed the province under the GCQ, has suspended classes until May 31 and allowed flexible learning arrangements.

In a press conference on May 21, Treñas said that while he has no qualms with the DepEd, he is concerned with the risks that parents and children face when they return to school.

 

“I have nothing against DepEd going on with the classes, the only thing I said was that if the parents have concerns, health issues of their children, I will not force them to bring their children to school. You are inviting disaster when you proceed with classes. If the parents are worried, for me they have every reason to be afraid,” Treñas said.

 

The mayor said that if the DepEd pushes through with the reopening, schools may be closed if there will be reports of local transmission of COVID-19.

He cited the latest incidents in France where 70 new confirmed cases were reported since the reopening of classes on May 12.

 

“Our usual protocol is that, if there is local transmission in a school, we close it down and sanitize, and do contact tracing. France had 70 cases [upon reopening of classes],” the mayor said.

Treñas also said that the city government had recently met with telecommunications providers to increase the city’s internet connection capabilities, which will easily allow for online classes.

“Children will always be children, and whether we like it or not, they will take off their masks, they will start to play with each other. The risks will be too high. That is why we met with Smart, PLDT, and Globe. We are pushing to improve connectivity because we wish that if there would be classes through the internet, that would be better. It will be safer for our children,” he said.

 

For now, the mayor said he does not see the need to ask the DepEd to reconsider its decision, but he will do so if the need arises.

In another press conference on May 21, Defensor was also adamant in postponing classes for a year, citing the state of the local economy and the province’s focus on COVID-19.

He emphasized that the opening of classes may mean greater risks to residents.

 

“Classes are one of the things we can set aside. Yes, we have a one-year delay, but I think it’s better for us if we pursue the policy of containment of COVID-19 and just take care of the economy. We will lessen our monitoring so we can focus. If there will be classes, we will have a new focus and the risks will rise unnecessarily,” Defensor said.

 

Daily Guardian reached out to DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones for comment but she did not respond as of this writing.