Duque contradicts Duterte: ‘Safe’ to reopen classes in August

Published May 26, 2020 12:55:36 PM

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 26) — Health Secretary Franciso Duque III on Tuesday supported the reopening of classes in August, in contrast to an earlier pronouncement of President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Sa ngayon sa tingin namin ay ligtas kung bubuksan ang klase by August 24,” he said during a virtual Senate hearing.

[Translation: For now, our view is that it’s safe for classes to open by August 24.]

Duque’s statement came a day after Duterte said he did not approve of the opening of school classes until there was an available vaccine against the coronavirus disease.

Duque said it is safe to start classes amid the COVID-19 crisis as long as minimum health standards, such as wearing of face masks and disinfecting, will be observed.

He said the Department of Education has “many measures in place” to ensure the safety of students.

“We hope the vaccines will be available the soonest possible time. But habang wala pa, siguraduhin lang natin ang minimum health standards are met to mitigate the risks to our school children,” he added.

[Translation: We are hoping the vaccine becomes available soon. but while it is not yet available, we should ensure minimum health standards are met to mitigate the risks to our school children.]

The Health chief also said that DOH continues to review data in barangays, saying that schools located in areas with a number of COVID-19 cases also have to undergo localized quarantine.

Duque backed the proposal of DepEd to explore online learning.

The DepeD announced last April 30 that the next school year will officially open on August 24 and end on April 30, 2021.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones said the resumption of classes will not require full physical attendance of students, stressing that online learning is still a viable option.

However, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said shifting to e-learning is unrealistic as majority of the country’s population does not have access to internet.

“The internet in the country remains the most expensive yet the slowest among Asian countries. I do not see how virtual classes being proposed by the DepEd can be effectively implemented across all sectors. The poor will be at a disadvantage here,” he said in a statement.

SOURCE: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/5/26/Duque-Duterte-school-reopening-August-2020.html