Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is seeking a Senate investigation on the implementation of two laws that would help ensure reliable Internet and continuous learning during emergency situations.

These are the Free Internet Access in Public Places Act (Republic Act No. 10929) and the Open Distance Learning Act (Republic No. 10650).

In filing Senate Resolution (SR) No. 59, Gatchalian seeks to determine the effectiveness of the two laws in education institutions and learning centers.

The lawmaker also seeks to identify and address implementation gaps, issues, and challenges.

Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, said that implementing these laws remains to be a problem, especially when the Covid-19 pandemic led to the suspension of face-to-face classes and the shift to distance learning.

The Free Internet Access in Public Places Act was enacted to provide free internet access to internet service in public places nationwide.

It also provides for free Wi-Fi internet access in public basic education institutions, alternative learning system centers, state universities and colleges, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) technology institutions, among others.

Based on the Free Public Wi-Fi monitoring dashboard, however, at least 945 public basic education schools or only about two percent of public schools nationwide have free public Wi-Fi as of January 29, 2022.

The Open Distance Learning Act, on the other hand, institutionalized Open Distance Learning (ODL) to expand and further democratize access to quality tertiary education.

The law mandates the use of distance education as an appropriate, efficient, and effective system of delivering quality higher and technical educational services in the country. To date, there are at least only 10 reputable higher education institutions offering distance education.