Some senators recommended not to include schools in Metro Manila and other areas with a high number of COVID-19 cases in the planned face-to-face classes pilot testing.
They made the proposal as the Department of Education (DepEd) discusses its preparation for the pilot testing before the Senate basic education panel.
Senator Nancy Binay said pilot testing face-to-face classes in low-risk areas could convince President Rodrigo Duterte to finally approve it.
In December, Duterte recalled his order allowing a dry run of face-to-face classes in January 2021 in select areas after the UK COVID-19 variant was detected in the country.
“To make the pilot face-to-face more acceptable, huwag muna natin isama yung NCR, yung Quezon Province. Kasi yung mga nasa listahan niyo na matataas, yung nagka-COVID yung learners, teaching personnel, siguro huwag muna natin sila isama doon sa initial,” Binay said.
“Kumbaga, dapat piling-pili lang yung gamitin natin doon sa pilot face-to-face para maging acceptable ito kay President. Kasi if you make a presentation tapos nakasama doon sa NCR, parang kahit ako ayoko nang mag-face-to-face,” she added.
Meanwhile, Senator Imee Marcos agreed with Binay‘s suggestion, saying the best way to convince Duterte is to limit the dry run in low-risk areas.
Senators don’t want NCR schools to participate in face-to-face classes pilot testing
“Nangangampanya tayo kay Presidente, ayaw na ayaw niya ito. So dapat ang basic premise, para makumbinse natin si Presidente, we will pilot and open only in low-risk areas,” she said.
“Huwag na natin isama yung mga Pasay City at Cebu City, i-out na yan. Kasi low-risk areas, yan ang basic premise,” he added.
The DepEd earlier identified 1,065 schools for the pilot test. However, Education Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan said this has increased to 1,579 after some regions nominated other schools.
But Marcos said the number of schools should actually be less than 1,000.
“What is really important is that they represent the urban-rural, they represent island provinces, they represent BARMM,” she said.
“I think it’s much more important to have a representative sampling rather than adding and adding to these list, hindi na natin masisimulan kasi kinakabahan nga ang Malacañang diyan,” she added.