Enduring Education Amidst COVID-19

The President has signed into law an act that will give power to adjust the start of school
calendar while the country, the Philippines, is under a state of emergency. However, Republic Act
(RA) 11469, or otherwise known as ‘BAYANIHAN TO HEAL AS ONE ACT,’ passed due to the
pandemic, education was not encompassed as among the powers subjected to the emergency
powers of the President.
Philippines is one of the countries most devastated by the onslaught of coronavirus which
started in March of 2020. COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by coronavirus and
transmitted through close contact.
Republic Act 7797
This is otherwise known as ‘AN ACT TO LENGTHEN THE SCHOOL CALENDAR
FROM TWO HUNDRED (200) DAYS TO NOT MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED TWENTY
DAYS (220) CLASS DAYS”. Before the enactment of RA 77971 in 1994, school days consisted
200 class days. Upon its effectivity, affecting school year 1995 – 1996 onwards, class days was
lengthened to 220 class days, taken into consideration the days which may subsequently be
suspended due to man-made catastrophes. Although there was an increase on the number of school
day, it shall maintain the same hours spent by the students in school. As for the teachers, it shall
not affect their monthly salaries except for those who are paid on an hourly basis who then are
governed by the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
For Commission on Higher Education2, it allows universities and colleges to espouse their
own school calendar so long as they do not open earlier than June and not later than August.
Moreover, it stipulated that the total number of academic days shall not be less than 100 days each
semester excluding holidays, registration days, and suspensions due to natural disasters. On the
other hand, the Department of Education (DepEd) for basic education2 strictly follows the
provisions of RA 7797 which normally opens in June and ends in March.
Bills such as Senate Bill No. 14383 and Senate Bill No. 15414 are being passed amending
Section 3 of RA 7797. It is to give power to the President of the Philippines to move the resumption
of classes later than the usual June to August as stated on RA 7797. This power, however, is with
the recommendation of the Secretary of Education5. These bills were passed due to the outcry of

1 Republic Act No. 7797, Official Gazette, https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1994/08/25/republic-act-no-7977/, last

visited on Aug 1, 2020
2 Adjusting the school calendar, Joseph Noel M. Estrada, April 13, 2020,

https://www.manilatimes.net/2020/04/13/opinion/columnists/adjusting-the-school-calendar/713255/, last visited on

Aug 1, 2020
3 Senators file bill deferring opening of classes to September,

http://www.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2020/0428_prib1.asp, last visited on Aug 1, 2020

4 Statement of Senator Joel Villanueva, chair of the Senate Committee on Higher, and Technical and Vocational

Education, on the passage of Senate Bill No. 1541 on Third and Final Reading,
http://www.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2020/0601_villanueva2.asp, last visited on Aug 1, 2020
5 Gatchalian bill authorizing class opening beyond August gets Senate nod,

http://www.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2020/0601_gatchalian1.asp, July 19, 2020

the public who are concerned with opening the academic year on August 24, 20206. The movement
of classes shall accommodate all basic education schools, be it a local or international school7.
On July 17, 2020, the President has put the bills into law – RA 114807 authorizing the
Secretary of Education to recommend to the President school opening adjustments. Since this has
been put into law, implementing rules and regulations shall subsequently be issued. However, this
act and power of DepEd are limited only during state of calamity, or state of emergency.
Effects of COVID-19
During the early stint of the virus in the country, classes abruptly shifted from face-to-face
to online method. It forced the primary, secondary, and even some tertiary level institutions to end
the academic year to prevent physical contact between the students.
As we are all aware, public schools especially in the National Capital Region are congested.
According to Bagong Silang Faculty President, in his statement to Rappler8, one class could have
80 to 100 students. In addition, per United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO)9, Philippines has the most crowded classroom in Asia. With this kind of
set-up, holding physical classes will indeed increase the number of people who may be affected
by COVID-19.
With the increasing number of cases, and unknown solution, the proposed measure is to at
least mitigate the supposed to be damages in this time of crisis. Also, to give ample time for the
education committee to transition to the “new normal” 6. Classes may be held via distance learning
method to ensure learning continuity amidst the health crisis. On the speech of Senator
Gatchalian10, radio was considered as one of the learning modalities to be used in remote areas
without television or cellular phones. DepEd shared that aside from radio as one of the modalities,
there will be improvement on the aptitude for work of teachers to cope up with the new means to
deliver knowledge to the students.
DepEd garnered the biggest share in 2020 appropriation,11 hopefully, the budget allotted
be used to provide education packages such as stable internet connection and laptops for public
school students and educators. Even though amendment has formally come into law, face-to-face

6DepEd firm to resume classes on Aug. 24, Leila Salaverria, and Matthew Reysio-Cruz,
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1282823/deped-set-on-aug-24-resumption-of-classes#ixzz6SbYRyYAv, last visited on
Aug 1, 2020
7
DepEd welcomes signing of law adjusting date of class opening, Ma. Teresa Montemayor, July 20, 2020,
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1109473, last visited on Aug 1, 2020
8 Classroom shortages greet teachers, students in opening of classes, Sofia Tomacruz,
https://rappler.com/nation/teachers-students-troop-back-school-2019-greeted-classroom-shortage, last visited on Aug
1, 2020
9 The Public School Class Size Law of 2016 (House Bill 473), Mark Anthony Llego,

https://www.teacherph.com/public-school-class-size-house-bill-
473/#:~:text=According%20to%20data%20from%20the,the%20most%20crowded%20in%20Asia., last visited Aug 1,
2020
10 18th Congress – First Regular Session, Journal No. 66, https://www.senate.gov.ph/lisdata/3284529746!.pdf, July

19, 2020
11 House gets P4.1-T proposed national budget for 2020, Ian Nicolas Cigaral, Aug 20, 2019,

https://www.philstar.com/business/2019/08/20/1944950/house-gets-p41-t-proposed-national-budget-2020, last visited

on Aug 1, 2020
method will not fully be implemented in the country, and the target start of classes is still on August
24, 2020.