Postponing the reopening of all public and private schools set for August 24 will give the parents peace of mind,  lawmakers said on Sunday (May 24).

Deputy Speaker and Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr. insisted that the Department of Education  (DepEd)  should suspend the implementation of its Department Order No. 007 that schedules the reopening of classes on August 24.

"Kasi pag umalis ang anak mo sa bahay, napakagulo ng isip mo kung ganyan ang sitwasyon. Lalo na kung hindi lang isa, kung lima ang anak mo nasa school, eh napakagulo ng isip mo, hindi ka mapakali (Because when your child leaves the house, you are worried, with the situation being what it is. Especially if you don't have just one, but five children in school, you would be very worried, you won't have peace of mind). We are saving lives," he said in a radio interview.

He noted that some countries like France and South Korea that reopened schools recorded new COVID-19 cases among students.

"The Education Minister reported that they have recorded 17 new cases of COVID-19 in schools that were allowed to reopen last week," he said.

Gonzales earlier filed House Resolution No. 876 seeking to suspend the resumption of classes “until and unless a vaccine against COVID-19 has been discovered and included in the Philippine national drug formulary.”

The resolution has been referred to the House Defeat Covid-19 committee, co-chaired by Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Majority Leader and Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez.

Under DepEd Order No. 007, the school year 2020-2021 will run from Aug. 24, 2020 until April 30, 2021, consisting of 203 days.

Gonzales said  distance learning through the Internet is not possible in the provinces where there are weak telecommunications signals.

"Natatakot po ako (I am afraid)  there will be plenty of students will be left behind," he said.

When asked if he would call for an extension of plenary or a special session to discuss pressing COVID-19 related measures, including his resolution,  Gonzales said:  "We will follow the wisdom of the leadership, headed by Speaker Cayetano. Kung ano po ang sabihin niya (whatever he says), we will respect. We will listen to the sentiments of our House members."

In a statement,  Ang Probinsyano party-list Rep. Ronnie Ong also asked DepEd to cancel the resumption of classes this year,  saying that giving schools the option to hold virtual classes "also unnecessarily gives parents additional financial and emotional burden."

"Sobrang hirap na ng buhay ng ating mga magulang sa panahon na ito ng COVID pandemic. Halos wala nang makain ang marami sa ating mga magulang dahil walang hanapbuhay habang naka-quarantine (Life is very difficult for parents during this time of the COVID pandemic. Many parents hardly have anything to eat because they have no livelihood under quarantine),” he said.

He expressed his concern that many of the students in far-flung towns do not have access to reliable e-learning gadgets like smartphones, tablets, and laptops, and stable internet connection, saying that the Philippines is not ready yet for a full shift to e-learning system.

“DepEd should just postpone the entire school year without any exception. Our policy should apply to all to avoid any confusion. We are unprepared for this crisis,” Ong said.

He warned that the unpreparedness of DepEd and many public and private schools to conduct online classes "may aggravate the country’s declining quality of education."

“Walang training ang marami sa ating mga teachers (Many of our teachers don't have training)  to hold online classes. My suggestion is the DepEd should use this time to properly re-tool their teachers and their system to adapt to the so-called new normal,” he pointed out.

Ong also proposed the inclusion of public and private school teachers in the government's social amelioration program (SAP).

“Tulungan din po natin ang ating mga teachers, lalo na 'yung mga under sa 'no work, no pay' scheme. At least sigurado natin na mapupunta sa pamilya nila, at hindi gagamitin sa ibang non-essential purchases ang SAP na maibibigay na lang sana sa mga teachers (We should help our teachers, especially those under a 'no work, no pay' scheme. We are certain that this will benefit their families and the SAP that will be given to the teachers will not be used for non-essential purchases),” he said.