Mayor Evelio Leonardia expressed opposition to the opening of classes set by the Department of Education (DepEd) on August 24 to protect the health and ensure the safety of school children from coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
“I personally oppose the school opening on August 24, and that is for a very valid reason. The bottomline here is we have to make a choice. We have to set our priorities. We believe that the most important thing is still the health of our children,” Leonardia said in a video message on Wednesday.
On Monday night, President Rodrigo Duterte himself said he believes the opening of classes should be pushed back until a vaccine that could protect persons against Covid-19 is developed.
Leonardia, the national president of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), said the league has launched a survey on the school opening, and the city mayors have an “overwhelming” response in favor of a postponement.
“So far, it has been an overwhelming opposition to that also,” he added.
Leonardia said there’s no need to hurry because if the school opening will be deferred this year, the situation will be the same for all students.
“We should really prioritize the health of our children. Once they go back to school, how can you maintain social distancing? How can you stop children from being children? I hope that the authorities will eventually reconsider that decision and postpone it, in the meantime, while the crisis is raging,” he said.
On May 20, the City Council of Bacolod passed a resolution “earnestly beseeching the DepEd through Secretary Leonor Briones to defer the opening of classes of schools under its jurisdiction to a date later than August 2020.”
The resolution also sought to “avoid classes which practice face-to-face scheme of instruction until the national emergency and threat to life and health caused by Covid-19 shall have considerably subsided and controlled”.
“I believe that the Vice Mayor (El Cid Familiaran) and the Sangguniang Panlungsod are one with me in opposing this,” Leonardia said.
Last week, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson also pushed for the resumption of classes next year instead of the scheduled opening in August.
“It’s a decision that has to be made, but you know, if you ask me, let’s start classes next year instead,” Lacson said. (Nanette Guadalquiver ndb via pna)