Presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. will implement a National Education Portal (NEP) to step up the digital shift of the country's education system once he is elected in office.

The Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) standard-bearer said that the NEP will be an online platform accessible to both students and teachers that will simplify and secure e-learning for both public and private educational institutions. It also serves as a central hub for students and teachers to communicate securely and provide digital learning materials.

The portal will be developed in collaboration with government agencies and information technology (IT) experts from the private sector.

Marcos noted that the lockdowns brought by the COVID-19 pandemic has made Internet access crucial particularly for students and employees who are now confined in their homes.

The former senator lamented the plight of teachers and students who were ill-prepared for distance learning. He also noted the problem with mobile internet signals especially in the far flung areas of the country.

“Ramdam ko ang hirap nila, hindi naging madali. Marami pa rin sa mga estudyante ang nahihirapan, walang computer, tablets o kahit cellphone man lang sana. Hirap din sila sa pagsagap ng Internet, umaakyat pa sa puno, bubong para lamang makapag-aral ng mabuti. Pasalamat tayo sa mga guro natin dahil sa kabila ng hirap na dinadanas nila, eh nandun pa rin 'yung passion nila to cope up with our new system, 'yung iba talaga gumagawa ng paraan para matulungan ang ating mga estudyante at makapagturo ng maayos (I feel their hardship, it wasn't easy and many of our students are still struggling with no computer, tablets or cellphone available. They had a hard time to pick up an Internet signal that they had to climb a tree or go to their rooftop just to study. We have to thank our teachers because despite the struggles they had to go through, their passion to cope up with our new system is still there. They are doing everything they can to teach and help our students),” Marcos said.

The former lawmaker cited that the NEP will coincide with the Duterte administration's 'Build, Build, Build' program which he is looking to integrate with the digital infrastructures in the country.

Marcos said that the 'Build Build Build' program of President Duterte is worth pursuing since it will play a pivotal role in the country's post-pandemic recovery.

“Nakita natin na 'yung ginagawa ngayon na ‘Build Build Build’ maayos 'yun, talagang 'yung imprastraktura ay importante. Sa aking palagay isasama ko dun sa ‘Build Build Build’ 'yung digital infrastructure para mas palakasin ang Internet at mas gawin advance ang kagamitan sa school (We have now seen that the ‘Build Build Build’ is doing well. Infrastructure is really important and in my opinion I’ll include with the ‘Build Build Build’ the digital infrastructure so that we can strengthen the Internet and make more advance our school equipment),” the former Ilocos Norte congressman said.

“Bago pa magka-COVID naging importante na masyado ang Internet kaya dapat talaga nating pagandahin ngayon ngang nagka-covid pa eh talagang kitang kita na talaga kailangang kailangan talaga magkaroon ng Internet (Even before COVID happened it was already important to have the Internet that’s why we need to make it even better with COVID still around. And we can clearly see that we really need to have Internet access).” The PFP presidential bet also wants the country's educational system and government learning institutions to be at par with global standards.

“Ngayon palang magandang mailatag na ng ating gobyerno ‘yung plano para dito sa tinatawag nating post-pandemic, sa edukasyon at maging sa ibang aspeto. Napakahalagang maging klaro, unti-unti na tayong nagluluwag eh, well, nakakasiguro naman tayo na pinag-aaralan ng ating gobyerno ito (Right now it’s better that the government lay down all its post-pandemic plans for education and in other aspects. It’s important that we make it clear since we are slowly easing restrictions but I’m pretty sure that the government has already studied it),” the former Ilocos Norte governor said.

Marcos added that he will ask the support of telecom companies and Internet providers to assure that the NEP becomes successful.

“Kung sakaling tayo ay papalarin, agad tayong makikipag-ugnay sa malalaking telcos at sa ibang companies para pag-usapan ‘yung digital infrastructure. Kailangan masolusyonan natin ang ganitong klaseng problema sa edukasyon, gawin din nating mas digital o advance ‘yung mga kagamitan sa school (If we are fortunate to win, we will get in touch with the big telcos at other companies to talk about the digital infrastructure. We need solutions for this kind of educational problem. We must also make our school equipment more digital and advance),” said Marcos. (Melvin Sarangay)