There are no face-to-face classes in Vice President Leni Robredo’s Community Learning Hubs initiative, her spokesman clarified.
“The intention of these learning hubs is to provide a space for students who do not have the resources for distance learning,” Vice Presidential Barry Gutierrez said during an interview on Sa Totoo Lang on One PH.
The Office of the Vice President (OVP) came under fire for supposedly pushing through with the initiative even without the approval of the Department of Education (DepEd).
Education Secretary Leonor Briones earlier denied partnering with the vice president for the initiative.
Gutierrez maintained that they coordinated with the DepEd both at the national and local levels. It is also to their understanding that the OVP did not need their written approval since the department said from the start that it was a “good initiative.”
In a letter dated August 23, Briones told Robredo’s office that it will be happy to receive further details from the OVP. It even suggested that the initiative can be scaled to the national level.
Gutierrez said they gave further details of the program on September 8, but admitted that the Education department did not respond to it.
He maintained that they knew that the pilot will be on October 19.
“It means that it’s been over a month since we last communicated with them . No one warned us not to continue with the program,” Gutierrez said.
Asked about what Robredo earlier said that some government offices are wary about partnering with them because of politics, Gutierrez said he had no choice but to look at it that way, too.
Gutierrez added that their office is not claiming that there was a partnership between DepEd and the OVP.
“I think Secretary Briones is being put on the spot. Her response may have been prompted because she doesn’t want to make it look like her department is working with us.”
He also clarified that social distancing measures and health protocols are being followed in these hubs as only a limited number of students are allowed to stay in the centers. They are also only allowed for a specified time as other students have to use the facilities as well.
The OVP and its private partners have so far set up 11 learning hubs in various pilot sites—Pasig City; Taytay, Rizal; San Jose, Camarines Sur; Balete, Aklan; Lucena, Quezon; Himamaylan, Negros Occidental; and Tabaco City, Albay.
“What is wrong with this initiative? Nothing, right? This is not illegal. The goal is to help . This is fully coordinated with the LGU and the local DepEd. There are clear beneficiaries to this program,” Gutierrez said.
Meanwhile, Gutierrez asked the public not to bash Briones on social media. He said that they simply want to clarify their position about the issue.
The DepEd secretary was the target of online bashing on Wednesday, with some netizens even pointing out her advanced age as to why she forgot about her earlier communication with the OVP.