SENATE President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III  and President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto backed the filing of a resolution recommending the opening of schools.

Sotto said the resolution would recommend the immediate reopening of schools nationwide and the adoption of a selective lockdown based on the recommendation of the local school board.

Recto stressed that education is the most essential sector.

The senator expressed concern that the P700 billion allotted for the education sector would only go to waste if students do not learn through distance learning.

“The pilot testing, as suggested by the Department of Education, can be incorporated in that resolution. I leave that to you. It was just a suggestion as long as it gets a unanimous approval by the body because unless we come up with a resolution like this, I don’t know if the Palace will be able to hear what you have discussed this afternoon,” Sotto said.

“Knowing that we are the last in the region, and one-third of all municipalities in the country do not have Covid19, shouldn’t the national government just have a protocol as a suggestion for example on how to open schools and allow the local government units which have school boards to begin with, to determine if it is safe to open in their localities?” Recto asked.

Senator Cynthia Villar meanwhile said local government units that are deemed at low risk for Covid19 should be allowed to open up as recognition for their efforts in controlling the spread of infection.

Villar said the government should base its decision on declaring lockdowns on the number of infections per city.