Sen. Pacquiao to shoulder 13 TV channels for DepEd to be used this school opening

Senator Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao said that he will shoulder the expenses of 13 TV channels for the Department of Education (DepEd) to be used this coming school year.

Photo credit: insider.com

According to Sen. Pacquiao, he could not bear to leave behind the students who struggle in far flung areas and can't afford to buy laptops and gadgets for online learning.

Galing ako sa hirap kaya alam ko ang nararamdaman ng mga mag-aaral at mga magulang nila,

said Pacquiao.

[I came from a poor (family) that's why I know what the students and their parents feel.]

Alam ko rin na hindi pa 100% coverage yang internet natin sa Pilipinas, kaya kahit me pambili ka ng laptop o gadget, hindi ka pa rin nakakasiguro na aabot sa ‘yo ang mga aralin buhat sa DepEd,

he added.

[I know that the internet in the Philippines doesn't have 100% coverage yet, even if you can afford a laptop or gadget, it isn't sure if the lessons from DepEd will reach the (learners).]

Sa tulong ng mga nasa industriya ng telecommunications, nagawan namin ng paraan para me magamit na 13 TV channels ang DepEd nang walang gastos buhat sa gobyerno at mga estudyante.

[With the help of those in the telecommunications industry, we have made it possible for DepEd to use 13 TV channels at no cost from the government and students.]

Kaya wala nang dahilan para hindi matuloy ang pag-aaral ng mga bata ngayong darating na pasukan,

[So there is no reason for students not to continue their education this coming school year.]

Kung saan ako muntik nang magkulang, maaga kong pupunuan. Dahil napakahalaga ng pag-aaral para sa kinabukasan ng ating mga kabataan.

[As to where I was almost lacking, I will supplement it early. Because education is very important for the future of our youth,]

A few months ago, the Manny Pacquiao Foundation (MPF) donated about 600,000 face masks to frontline workers battling the coronavirus outbreak in the Philippines and teamed up with Alibaba's billionaire CEO, Jack Ma, to donate 50,000 COVID-19 testing kits to the Department of Health (DOH) to help the government increase its mass testing capacity.