Senator Nancy Binay on Sunday, March 21 called on the government to exhaust all means to be able to provide faster and more improved internet services in the country to enable students nationwide to hurdle the challenges of online or distance learning.
(Senate of the Philippines / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Binay said senators concede it would be impossible to pursue the holding of limited face-to-face classes in schools at this point in time as the number of COVID-19 cases surged to nearly 8,000 on Saturday alone.
“I think at this point, we are forced to rely on learning modules because of our current situation. It’s impossible to conduct face-to-face type of classes because of what is currently happening.
So we are returning to the learning modules,” Binay said in an interview over Radio DZRH.
“So hopefully, we can have a better (Wi-Fi) signal because while some of our students already have their gadgets, they do not have any internet connection,” Binay lamented.
“So, I think it is essential that in the remaining months before the next school year starts, we can already improve students’ access to Wi-Fi,” she reiterated.
The Senate earlier recommended the safe reopening of schools by implementing a pilot testing of limited face-to-face classes in areas with zero or very little cases of COVID-19.
Senators who signed Senate Resolution No. 663, expressed belief a limited dry run of face-to-face classes will help the Department of Education (DepEd) gather sufficient evidence on the ground and design a framework for the safe reopening of schools.
The resolution, however, stressed the need to follow stringent COVID-19 health protocols as provided by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
However, on Saturday, March 20, the DOH reported 7,999 new COVID-19 cases on exceeding the last year’s case rates, which propelled healthcare workers to suddenly call for a “time-out.”
Last March 13, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, urged the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to compel the country’s telecommunication companies to speed up the construction of new cell towers to finally address the slow internet connection hounding the Philippines.
Gatchalian said data from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), a total of 2,680 permits and clearances in 460 cities and municipalities were approved as of Feb. 18 this year, while 848 permits and clearances in 264 cities and municipalities are still pending.
The country still needs 50,000 additional towers to adequately connect the whole region. The Philippines currently has 20,000 existing towers nationwide.
“All the needed mechanisms are already in place to expedite the construction of telecommunication towers to improve internet services following the enactment last year of the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act,” Gatchalian said.
“I see no reason why we continue to suffer from unstable andunreliable internet connectivity,” he lamented.