By Merlina Hernando-Malipot While it understands the importance of teaching swimming skills, the Department of Education (DepEd) admitted that making it a mandatory subject may not be possible in public schools - for now. Department of Education (DepEd) (MANILA BULLETIN) DepEd said in a statement that it recognizes the importance of “teaching swimming skills as part of the holistic development of our learners.” In fact, the agency noted that swimming - apart from other sports and rescue programs - are “already part” of the current K to 12 curriculum. However, DepEd noted that “making swimming a mandatory subject is another issue since not all local government units (LGUs) can provide swimming facilities for public schools.” For its part, the agency said it “has a limited budget in order to build and maintain such facilities inside public school areas.” Last October, the World Health Organization (WHO) pushed for the inclusion of mandatory swimming and rescue subjects in the country as part of the K to 12 curriculum. In April 2019, the Philippine National Police (PNP) also recommended the inclusion of swimming lessons in grade school and high school following the drowning deaths of over 40 people in various parts of the country in the same month. DepEd said that it “will continue to adhere to the curriculum with regards to swimming activities but will only do so on a non-compulsory basis since it entails substantial cost.” Meanwhile, DepEd reminded schools that are already implementing swimming lessons to have the “safety of their learners in mind during such classes.” WHO data showed that some 372, 000 people die from drowning every year. It is also the third leading cause of unintentional death worldwide. In the Philippines, there is an average of 2,496 deaths from drowning each year.