A photo of a boy who enrolled himself online at a “pisonet” shop in Caloocan City went viral on social media, Tuesday. “Pisonet” shops allow users to have internet access by paying one peso per minute of use.
The photos’ uploader Peter Salire De Guzman said he thought the boy would play computer games when he went to the shop late in the evening. But he was surprised when he saw that the Grade 7 student was trying to fill out an enrollment form used by the Department of Education.
De Guzman said the child struggled to answer the form, so he helped him and gave him another five pesos so he could extend his internet use.
“Nalulungkot ako para sa batang ito. Ilan silang ganito ang sitwasyon ngayon, wala nang sisihan, magtulungan na lang,” he said.
(I feel sad for this kid. Some of them are in a similar situation today. Let us not blame others; just help each other.)
De Guzman added that the child’s family has no money to avail of the internet or buy gadgets for his online learning. He said the boy’s parents are at home and have no work because of the community quarantine.
The Facebook post garnered more than 53,000 shares and 100,000 reactions as of this posting. Many also reached out to help the kid.
“Due to unexpected bulk of messages, hindi pa po ako makapagreply sa libu-libong messages na mga na rereceive ko. As of now, may mga nareplyan na po tayong gusto magdonate ng phone, desktop computer, at printer,” he said.
(Due to the unexpected bulk of messages, I was not able to reply to the thousands of messages I receive. As of now, I have responded to some who wanted to donate phone, desktop computer, and printer.)
DepEd and the administration remained firm on opening the school year 2020-2021 on August 24 despite the challenges posed by remote learning.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier expressed his worries that the country is not ready for distance learning. However, DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones said they are prepared to implement the new method of education delivery.
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