Iloilo town mayor OK with school face-to-face class, but…

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

Cabatuan, Iloilo Mayor Ronilo Caspe is personally in favor of holding limited face-to-face classes in one of the town’s schools but he said the Department of Education (DepEd) should coordinate and collaborate with local government units (LGUs) first.

Tomas Confesor Memorial Elementary School in Cabatuan is one of four schools in Iloilo province recommended for the pilot implementation of limited face-to-face classes.

Cabacanan Elementary School (Alimodian), Granada National High School-Ballesteros Campus (Carles), and Palanguia National High School (Pototan) were the other schools included in this list.

Leonil Salvilla, Public Information Officer of the DepEd-Division of Iloilo, told Daily Guardian in a text message that the recommendations were made by LGUs and forwarded by the DepEd-Region 6 to their central office in Pasig City.

But Caspe told Aksyon Radyo Iloilo that the DepEd “unfortunately” identified Confesor as a pilot implementation site without consulting their LGU.

He was unable to specify which DepEd office made the identification, but only stated that he was approached by the school principal since last year.

One of the requirements needed by the DepEd central office in identifying schools is a resolution by the town council or a letter from the LGU supporting the pilot implementation in their area.

“We were not involved in whatever planning stage prior to approval or being placed for the limited face-to-face [classes] (sic). The school head just came to me informing that Tomas Confesor was selected by the DepEd as one of the pilot schools,” Caspe said in a radio interview.

The mayor said he was open to the idea but the Cabatuan LGU should have been consulted prior to making any recommendations or identifications.

He cited the fact that Barangay Tabucan, where the school was located, was the top barangay for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections in the town in the middle of this year.

He also recalled telling LGU and school officials that allowing the school to be included in the implementation should depend on the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the barangay.

“I am in favor of limited face-to-face [classes in Cabatuan], but there are conditions that the DepEd needs to consider prior to identifying a school or area where limited face-to-face will be implemented. I [told the principal] that we have to see if the conditions of [Brgy. Tabucan] would improve before we go on with [implementation] in the school,” he said.

Caspe repeated that he was willing to support the implementation, but the DepEd should approach the LGU to talk about their plans and how local officials can help.

The mayor mentioned that the LGU can provide the learners’ needs should the piloting push through, including face masks, face shields, vitamins, rubbing alcohol, and other physical necessities.

He added that the blended learning modality currently being implemented by DepEd and the schools was unsuccessful, hence the need for the return of face-to-face classes.

“Up to now, I am waiting personally for DepEd officials, other than the principal, here in Cabatuan, to coordinate on the role and what the LGU (can do). I am very willing to help because I believe that face-to-face classes should return, and also because there was a big difference and a lot was lost from our children’s learning capacity,” he said.

DepEd central office confirmed on Monday that President Rodrigo Duterte approved the pilot implementation of limited face-to-face classes in 100 public schools and 20 private schools in low-risk areas across the country.

Salvilla reiterated on Tuesday that they there is still no communication from the central office on the list of schools included in the implementation.

This will be the first time that learners and teachers will interact with each other since normal classes were upended by the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

RESPONSE

Kabataan Partylist Panay coordinator Crimson Labinghisa told Aksyon Radyo Iloilo that they support the DepEd’s pilot implementation, but also said that authorities should ensure observance of minimum health protocols in schools.

Since the height of the pandemic last year, Kabataan Partylist has been calling for a safe reopening of physical classes, citing inequity in access to education by learners from the primary to post-graduate levels.

Labinghisa said that there should be an additional budget for the pilot implementation so that it may be done effectively and safely.

“This can only be done when there is good, well-funded education for the safety of the learners. There should be added classrooms and other facilities, more chairs, so we can ensure physical distancing between learners as well as teachers and other school personnel,” Labinghisa said.

She added that the additional facilities should also be provided by the DepEd in the basic level and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for the higher-education level during piloting for a more effective full implementation in the future.

“Even in pilot testing, it should be ensured that there are minimum public health standards, and again, additional facilities even in that level, because if that’s already done during pilot testing, we can be more prepared for the full reopening of schools. The national government, especially the [DepEd] as well as other agencies, should be doing this now,” she said.

As to the CHED’s implementation of limited face-to-face classes for health-related courses, Labinghisa said that the commission must be proactive in making sure that tertiary level institutions are ready to welcome back students.

CHED and the Department of Health in February issued a Joint Memorandum Circular to allow face-to-face classes for health-related degree programs in areas under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ).

“Ensuring reopening of colleges and universities should not be left to their administrations alone. [CHED] must have active participation, because we cannot deny that our schools have limited budgets even before the pandemic. The national government should actively help these schools out, not just to leave them out,” she said.