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Senator Christopher "Bong" Go is throwing his support behind the option of modular learning as a way to keep students safe as temperatures rise and power outages become a recurring issue in some parts of the country.

Go, chairman of the Senate Health and Demography Committee, stressed the importance of prioritizing the safety and health of students, especially during extreme weather conditions.

‘’With temperatures soaring, there are growing concerns about the safety of students who might be forced to attend face-to-face classes in extreme heat or during power outages,’’ he said in a statement, Saturday, April 29.

The Department of Education (DepEd) has reminded school heads that they have the authority to suspend face-to-face classes and shift to alternative delivery modes such as modular distance learning because of these concerns.

On April 20, the DepEd issued a memorandum restating that schools have the option to utilize modular distance learning, as outlined in DepEd Order No. 37, released in 2022.

The order empowers school heads to assess if unfavorable circumstances, such as extreme heat or power outages, may significantly impact in-person classroom learning and jeopardize the health and safety of students.

Per the five-day forecast provided by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) for April 25 to 29, the city of Iloilo is anticipated to experience the maximum heat index of 37°C.

Other key cities including Butuan City, Cabanatuan City, Cotabato City, Dagupan City, Davao City, General Santos City, among others, are expected to experience a heat index of 36°C.

Go said he understands these concerns and believes that modular learning is a viable solution to ensure that students can continue to learn without risking their health and safety.

An advocate for the well-being of students, the senator from Davao emphasized the importance of mental health in addressing mental health disorders, which are often overlooked and undetected.

He said he has also been pushing for the passage of his proposed Senate Bill (SB) No. 1786, which seeks to mandate public higher education institutions to establish Mental Health Offices in their respective campuses.

Go also serves as co-author of Senator Sherwin Gatchalian’s SB No.379, known as the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act, which aims to provide mental health services, emotional, developmental and preventive programs, and other support services in the basic education level.