KABATAAN party-list Representative Raoul Manuel said that the education sector needs a supplementary budget of P122 billion to implement necessary policies for safe school reopening.

The lawmaker added that the resumption of face-to-face classes should not be a token “back-to-normal” objective of forcing schools to open without ample preparation just to mirror the pre-pandemic setting.

The goal is not to just open schools but to ensure that they remain open and safely conducting accessible and quality face-to-face classes, he pointed out.

“Apart from releasing vague directives and deadlines on paper, the DepEd and the whole administration did not only fail to champion corresponding reform policies or even funding for the education sector to ensure such lofty goals, but they have issued unscientific policies deceptively normalizing Covid19 that can jeopardize the safety and continuity of face-to-face classes in the country,” Manuel said.

“The learning crisis cannot be solved by simple memoranda or make-believe statements that the pandemic is ending,” he added.

Manuel called on the executive department to certify as urgent the Safe School Reopening bill and Student Aid bill.