Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte on Monday, April 17, went to Masbate to check on students in seven public schools, where onsite classes were disrupted by clashes between security forces and communist rebels.
Vice President Sara Duterte speaks before elementary students during a school visit in Masbate. (OVP photo)
A statement from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) said Duterte visited Palani Integrated School in Balud, Guindawahan Elementary School in Pio Corpuz, Locso-an Elementary School and Arriesgado Sevilleno High School in Placer.
The others were Villa Hermosa Elementary School and Villa Hermosa National High School in Cawayan, and Masbate Comprehensive National High School in Masbate City.
The clashes affected the conduct of face-to-face classes involving over 55,000 learners and 2,815 school personnel in six Masbate towns.
The Vice President stressed on the learners the significance of education in ending the cycle of poverty during the school visits.
At the Locso-on Elementary School in Placer town, Duterte told students to duck and seek cover when they hear gunfire.
A video footage of Locso-on school children showing they were panicking and crying in fear while gunshots were being heard surfaced and went viral online a day after the March 22 clash.
Duterte held dialogues with school heads and teachers, listening to their concerns about the education sector. They discussed additional school buildings, lessening paper works of teachers, and having stress debriefing following the clashes.
She also led the distribution of school supplies and dental kits in these schools, where 1,513 students received the PagbaBAGo kits.
The PagbaBAGo campaign is a program which aims to instil the importance of basic education and nurture the right attitude among young Filipinos to succeed in life. It is now part of the Duterte’s activities during her visits in cities and towns across the country.
Aside from distributing the bags, Duterte encouraged the children's parents to practice responsible parenthood and family planning.