House approves measure encouraging Pres. Duterte to allow face-to-face classes in Batanes

On Monday, the House of Representatives approved a measure urging President Rodrigo Duterte to allow the conduct of face-to-face classes in Batanes. 

The chamber adopted House Bill 1255, calling on the President, through the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) and the Department of Education (DepEd), to allow physical classes in Batanes. 

The resolution is authored by Batanes Representative Ciriaco Gato Jr. and House Committee on Basic Education and Culture chair Roman Romulo. 

In the resolution, it said that Batanes is one of the places in the Philippines that do not have a decent internet connection, meaning they'll be having a difficult conducting online classes there. 

Although, Batanes has been consistently classified as a very low risk area by DOH and IAFT, its average teacher-student ratio is approximately 1:11 or 1:12 at the elementary and secondary levels. Making face-to-face classes in the province feasible. 

Hence, conducting face-to-face classes in the province is realistic and practical inasmuch as the low number of students per class shall allow social distance to be observed,

it added. 

The resolution also noted that Batanes Governor Marilou Cayco, the Provincial IATF, the six municipal mayors in the province, teachers, parents and other stakeholders are fully supportive of the conduct of face-to-face classes. 

Now, therefore, be it resolved, as it is hereby resolved by the House of Representatives, to urge President Rodrigo Duterte, through the IATF and DepEd, to allow the conduct of 'face-to-face' classes in the Province of Batanes which is a low-risk and COVID-free province,

it said.