Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto on Friday raised concern over the plight of Filipino schoolchildren in communities that are still without electricity.

Recto estimated that 2.25 million students “remain in dark ages” and are struggling to adapt to
“a new normal of education in which laptops and computers play an important role.”

He stressed this after learning during their budget debates that about 2.3 million households, or 10 percent of the total number of households in the Philippines, do not have electricity.

“It is safe to say that 10 percent of our DepEd enrollees are from homes without light or power,” Recto said in a statement.

The Department of Education (DepEd) said about 22.5 million public school students were enrolled for this school year.

“Before the pandemic struck, we already had millions of unplugged children, not by choice, but by circumstance. Kung walang kuryente, paano ka makapanood ng lessons sa TV, or tatangggap ng assignments via email kung wala ngang power source ang cellphone mo (If there is no electricity, how will you be able to watch your lesson on TV? Or receive your assignments via email, when your cellphone doesn't have a power source)?”

“Homes without electricity can be found in an urban setting, where families are too poor to connect to and pay for billed electricity. Meron pa ring sa ilaw ng gasera nag-aaral o sa kalsada o tabi ng building na may ilaw (Some still study using kerosene lamps, under street lights, or using illumination from lit buildings),” Recto added.

During the Senate's plenary debates on the proposed 2021 budget of the Department of Energy, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said that some P25 billion is needed to electrify all households in the country.

“But we allocate only close to about P1.5 to P2 billion a year. That's why it will take time to reach all of those 2.3 million households,” Gatchalian said during their session late Thursday night.

Aside from homes, Recto said DepEd data showed that some 449 schools in far-flung areas are also without electricty. At least P3.85 billion is needed to power up these schools, he said.

DepEd officials, however, said it did not rely on internet for its blended and distance learning program and that it mostly used the self-learning modules to deliver lessons to students.

“There really was not much hope in internet because of the low connectivity. And even in Taguig City, which I thought would have a better chance of connectivity, when they did their survey, the kids would not be able to have access to the internet,” Sen Pia Cayetano said in sponsoring the proposed Deped budget.

Likewise, those with access to television and radio were less than one percent, she said.