By Ellson Quismorio
Rep. Joey Salceda (Albay, 2nd district) House committee on ways and means chairman, reiterated on Wednesday his proposal for all college students be declared as having passed all academic requirements in the current school year due to the national health emergency brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Albay Rep. Joey Salceda
(RTVM / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) Salceda said he made this proposal to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) last month even when the COVID-19 threat had not yet escalated into the implementauton of the Luzon-wide ehhanced community quarantine (ECQ) measures. "Very early in March, I recommended to CHED (Commission on Higher Education) and all higher education institutions to just pass all college students enrolled in 2nd semester," he bared on a Facebook post, which has been shared over 2,800 times. Salceda said he made the unprecedented suggestion in a bid "to reduce the level of national anxiety." "Sa transcript lagyan ng PASSED due to COVID (Write on the transcript, 'passed due to COVID')," said the lawmaker-economist. Classes at all levels all over the country have been suspended for almost a month due to the ECQ measures. Salceda said that his proposal excludes those taking up terminal courses needed for board exams. It was also in early March when Salceda's House colleague, ACT-Teachers Party-List Rep. France Castro appealed for the passage of students en masse. "Wala naman mawawala sa teachers kung ipapasa na nila mga estudyante nila (The teachers stand to lose nothing if they pass their students now)," she said. Castro argued that, with the extraordinary situation brought by the pandemic, "passing or failing a student at this time is irrelevant."
Albay Rep. Joey Salceda(RTVM / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) Salceda said he made this proposal to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) last month even when the COVID-19 threat had not yet escalated into the implementauton of the Luzon-wide ehhanced community quarantine (ECQ) measures. "Very early in March, I recommended to CHED (Commission on Higher Education) and all higher education institutions to just pass all college students enrolled in 2nd semester," he bared on a Facebook post, which has been shared over 2,800 times. Salceda said he made the unprecedented suggestion in a bid "to reduce the level of national anxiety." "Sa transcript lagyan ng PASSED due to COVID (Write on the transcript, 'passed due to COVID')," said the lawmaker-economist. Classes at all levels all over the country have been suspended for almost a month due to the ECQ measures. Salceda said that his proposal excludes those taking up terminal courses needed for board exams. It was also in early March when Salceda's House colleague, ACT-Teachers Party-List Rep. France Castro appealed for the passage of students en masse. "Wala naman mawawala sa teachers kung ipapasa na nila mga estudyante nila (The teachers stand to lose nothing if they pass their students now)," she said. Castro argued that, with the extraordinary situation brought by the pandemic, "passing or failing a student at this time is irrelevant."