Former Senator Ferdinand “BongBong” Marcos. Screengrab from Pandesal Forum
MANILA, Philippines — Former senator and presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday urged the government to ensure the safety of students and teachers after nearly 100 schools in the country were allowed to conduct in-person classes.
In a statement, Marcos asked the Department of Education (DepEd) to deploy only vaccinated teachers to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The DepEd, he said, must continue to encourage teachers and students to get vaccinated.
“We should ensure the safety of children and teachers. We should strengthen the coordination and cooperation between local governments, the Department of Health and the Department of Education for the orderly implementation of the program,” he said.
Citing the experiences of other countries, Marcos pointed out that there were risks involved in having nonvaccinated teachers and staff report for work during in-person classes.
The DepEd has identified 90 out of the 100 public schools that would be allowed to hold the pilot run of the in-person classes.
Despite this development, Marcos reminded parents that the program was voluntary and parents would need to provide a signed consent if they want to allow their children to join the pilot run of the in-person classes.
The pilot run of the in-person classes will begin on Nov. 15 for public schools and Nov. 22 for private schools.