In an April 20, 2022 article published in Inquirer, Jane Bautista reported that the Department of Education (DepEd) on April 19 defended its policy making on-site reporting mandatory for teachers, saying it was just complying with the order of the national government.

According to the article, DepEd cited Resolution No. 163-A^[1]https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/downloads/2022/02feb/20220227-IATF-163-A-RRD.pdf issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), which requires government agencies in areas under alert level 1 to ensure a 100 percent on-site workforce. This is in response to earlier complaints of teachers on the mandatory on-site reporting policy since it was implemented hastily with no consultation. Teachers said this decision resulted in problems as some schools were not equipped to conduct online classes^[2]https://mb.com.ph/2022/04/19/teachers-group-suspend-depeds-onerous-order-for-full-on-site-reporting/.

Meanwhile, union members of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers National Capital Region called for a dialogue with the DepEd on the suspension of the policy because of its “counterproductive” impact.

Editor’s Note: Recently, we are seeing more and more groups pushing back against the illogical covid mandates [see Philippine Business Group Rejects IATF Resolution Mandating Vaccination; Philippine Daily Inquirer Publishes Constitutionally Compliant Business PH (CCB-PH) Full Page Ad; Philippine Daily Inquirer publishes CCH open letter on forced vaccinations; Huge Civic Group Considering to Take Legal Actions Against IATF’s On-Site Vaccination Mandate]. Teachers are one of those who were afflicted by IATF Resolution 148-B.

We know also that the previous IATF resolution 148-B^[3]https://iatf.doh.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/20211111-IATF-Resolution-148B.pdf had caused many upheavals to on-site workers albeit coerced others to take the jab in fear of losing their job. However, what is more demoralizing is the mandatory reporting of teachers, which also requires them to be vaccinated or undergo an RT-PCR or antigen testing at their own expense once they are vaccine-free [see Teachers May Be Coerced to Take the Covid Jab; DepEd: Vaccination Card Not a Requirement for Face-to-face Classes; CDC: Vaccinating teachers not a pre-requisite for safe school reopening; RT-PCR Cannot Differentiate Covid-19 and Seasonal Influenza: What Do We Have Then?].

To add to this, DepEd failed to call for dialogue among all stakeholders and encourage healthy debate to determine what is the best solution to the problem. Having online classes is yet another debacle since not all have access to fast and reliable internet. [See NEDA: 1 year of online learning will result in PHP 11 trillion loss in productivity over the next 40 years; Children learned next to nothing during distance schooling.]

Unless people realize covid is a sham, they will be tied up to useless policies that have nothing to do with health but a political ploy, power play, and control [see Complicity Between CDC, Teachers’ Union on COVID School Reopening Guidance Now Exposed; Why can’t the Philippine government give up its unscientific, illogical, and useless COVID policies?].

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