MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. repeated his administration’s commitment to full in-person learning this school year 2022 to 2023, but he also acknowledged the need to address the availability of classrooms.
"In the educational sector, I believe it is time for our children to return to full face-to-face classes once again," Marcos said in his first State of the Nation Address, a statement that was met with much applause.
While Marcos stopped short of detailing specific plans for schools with a shortage of facilities for in-person learning, he mentioned that the “condition and availability of classrooms must be addressed again” by the Department of Public Works and Highways in preparation for face-to-face classes.
"Though some complications have arisen over the question of repair of school buildings in relation to the Mandanas-Garcia ruling, this will be ironed out," Marcos added.
Under the Supreme Court’s decision in a 2013 petition, known as the “Mandanas-Garcia ruling,” local government units (LGU) get a bigger slice of the pie in the collections of national taxes, where their Internal Revenue Allotment should come from 40 percent of all national taxes collected by the Bureaus of Internal Revenue and of Customs.
Under the Local Government Code, local governments are tasked to prioritize the construction, repair, and maintenance of school facilities, including classrooms through the local school board.
“We have been in discussion with local government leaders, mayors in the last few weeks to determine with the LGUs what is actually practicable and what functions belong to LGUs and what belong to the national government.
Marcos added that Vice President Sara Duterte — concurrently education secretary — is now preparing for its implementation this school year with “utmost consideration for the safety of students” amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
To boost students’ and teachers’ immunity from COVID-19 before returning to school, Marcos said that he has ordered the Department of Health and the Department of Interior and Local Government to undertake another rollout of booster shots
Duterte’s first order as education secretary, Department of Education Order 34, s. 2022, bans all schools from implementing "purely distance learning" and blended learning after Oct. 31 as it pivots to five-day face-to-face classes by Nov. 2.
On July 20, Duterte said in a statement that Marcos raised the possibility of the institutionalization of a blended mode of instruction where only schools and areas with "special circumstances" should be allowed to deviate from full face-to-face classes.
However, Duterte added that "no details are forthcoming anytime soon" and that DepEd will have to first prepare a plan to be reviewed by the president.
Marcos revealed in his first SONA that he is no longer keen on imposing another lockdown and will instead balance the country’s economic and health needs.
"Sa ating sitwasyon sa pangkalusugan, nariyan pa rin ang banta ng COVID-19, lalo’t may mga nadidiskubreng bagong variants ng coronavirus. Pero hindi na natin kakayanin ang isa pang lockdown. Dapat nating balansehin nang maayos ang kalusugan at kapakanan ng ating mga mamamayan sa isang banda, at ang ekonomiya naman sa kabilang banda," Marcos added.
Kabataan party-list along with other youth groups on July 24 called on the government to reopen schools and face the "worsening education crisis exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic" with concrete action.
"Noong nakaraang taon pa lamang, mayroon na tayong Safe School Reopening Bill. Ito ang dapat i-certify as urgent ni Marcos Jr. kung gusto niyang magkaroon ng pondo para maging ligtas ang plano nilang pagbubukas ng mga kampus. Hindi pwedeng salita lang; dapat may pondo at aksyon," said Rep. Raoul Manuel (Kabataan Party-list).
House Bill 10398 or the Safe School Reopening Bill, which failed to hurdle the 18th Congress, proposes free COVID-19 testing for at least 1% of students every 14 days, budget allocation for teaching needs and other programs for in-person classes.
Marcos did not mention whether the government would still move the August 22 start date for classes, which the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition earlier criticized for “[aggravating] the situation as it snatches from teachers the much-needed rest after two extremely taxing school years under the pandemic.”
The group of teachers added: “The president still has a month to reconsider, and if he moves decisively enough, one million teachers would be spared from further burnout and be able to return to work with renewed strength and enthusiasm.”
Filipino children’s learning poverty, which refers to being unable to read and understand a simple text by age ten, worsened from 69.5% in 2019 to more than 85% in 2022, according to a report by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the World Bank in April.