ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Eric Go Yap filed a measure that seeks to provide communication and data accessibility and allowance to teachers during public health emergencies.

House Bill 10526 mandates the Department of Education to provide data and communication allowance to all basic education teachers in public and private schools during the period of the declared public health emergency.

The government will also provide computer or similar device to each teacher.

Yap said that the Covid19 pandemic compelled the education sector to adopt novel means to ensure education continuity.

“The introduction of distance learning via Zoom, Google Meet or equivalent was a hefty adjustment to all,” he said in his explanatory note.

The lawmaker said teachers incurred out-of-pocket expenses for distance learning.

“As we are still coursing through the pandemic and seemingly, are still no way near the end of the tunnel, we must establish an unremitting measure that can cover the cost of giving quality distance learning,” Yap said.