NOTE: THIS STORY WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE BOHOL CHRONICLE’S SUNDAY PRINT EDITION.
Senator Joel Villanueva told media that he is for limited face-to-face classes in select schools, not just in Bohol, but nation-wide.
“I am for face-to-face classes in schools,” Villanueva, who graced the TUPAD fund distribution program in the city, told media in ambush interview.
The province of Bohol has no single school, elementary or tertiary in public or private schools, being allowed to hold face-to-face classes.
Report said that “President Rodrigo Duterte has allowed up to 100 public schools and 20 private schools to join the pilot run, the first in a three-phased plan to gradually reopen schools and resume in-person classes.”
It said that limited in-person classes will begin in chosen schools on November 15, marking the country’s basic education system’s return to classroom instruction for the first time since the coronavirus forced unprecedented online classes nationwide with increasing infections and deaths from COVID-19.”
The repot added that the said face-to-face will cover students in Kindergarten, Grades 1 to 3, and Senior High School.
So far, only Cebu in Central Visayas has been allowed to hold face-to-face classes. These are the
Basak Elementary School, Mahanlud Elementary School, Cabagdalan Elementary School, Luyongbaybay Elementary School,Cañang-Marcelo Luna National High School, Busay National High School, Pilar National High School and Siocon Elementary School.
Villanueva, who is running for reelection, said that it’s about time that face-to-face classes be held, considering that the figures of COVID-19 positive cases are in a downtrend nation-wide.
In Bohol, the active COVID cases as of Nov. 6, 2021 are now at 189 from previous month (October) that exceeded 2,000. There’s a total of 18,979 recoveries and the sad part is that 563 are dead.
The municipalities that have zero active cases are Pres. Carlos P. Garcia, Getafe, S-Bullones, Danao, Corella, Bien-Unido, Sikatuna and Ubay, all of Bohol, based on Bohol Inter-agency Task Force Emergency Operations Center website.
The senator said that only two countries, including the Philippines, that are not holding, yet, in-person face-to-face classes in schools.
He said that the face-to-face classes necessitates to correct the sad plight of the learning of students in online or distance learning, resulting to only 28% had passed from it.
But in Bohol, inoculation of the children aged below 17 have yet to start in the municipalities.
Villanueva said that it still in order that all must be vaccinated.
The senator was welcomed by City Mayor Baba Yap and his First Lady Jane Cajes-Yap, Cong. Edgardo Chatto, Board Members Aldner Damalrio, Ricky Masamayor, Atty. Benjie Arcamo, Atty. Abel Damalerio and officials of the Department of Labor and Employment Bohol office. (rvo)