ILOILO City – Wearing facemask is now voluntary but the Department of Education (DepEd) Region 6, through Schools Division superintendents, still encourages the continued wearing of facemask in schools.
According to DepEd-6 regional director Ramir Uytico, they acknowledge the executive order issued by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on the voluntary wearing of facemask and as an implementing entity, they are bound to follow.
However, he emphasized that school superintendents and heads also have to look at the situation, especially if the classrooms are small or the spaces are crowded.
“Ang principal can really decide kasi mahirap ‘pag sobrang liit ng classroom tapos walang facemask. There is still a need to empower our people , especially our superintendents, to really check if voluntary wearing of facemask will really be fully implemented kasi sila ‘yung nakakita doon sa sitwasyon,” said Uytico.
He added that the situation should serve as a wake-up call for DepEd to continue monitoring and not to be complacent especially now that there is an issuance on voluntary wearing of facemasks.
Meanwhile, Iloilo Schools Division superintendent Luz de los Reyes said that on the part of Iloilo schools, they are still following health protocols against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) especially the wearing of facemasks in schools.
“We don’t take things for granted. It really pays to be careful. The kids, teachers and school personnel are still wearing mask. Should they wish to remove the mask, it should be in areas where there are lesser people but in the classrooms, they still wear mask,” said de los Reyes.
In Capiz, Schools Division superintendent, Dr. Miguel Mac Aposin, said they have disseminated the information on voluntary wearing of mask, however their medical officer through their School Governance and Operation Division really advocated continued voluntary use of facemask especially in places where classrooms are crowded.
Also, in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental, Schools Division superintendent, Dr. Ferdinand Sy, said they also still encourage learners to wear their facemask in places where spaces are not enough or small.
“Although there is that voluntary wearing, we still encourage but not require,” he added.
Schools Division superintendent Gladys Amylaine Sales of Himamaylan City in Negros Occidental noted that their schools have started to adjust to the new protocols on wearing facemask. She said there are those who still want to wear facemask while others do not wear it anymore.
However, she emphasized that those who are experiencing symptoms like cough and colds should wear facemask.
For students who have symptoms, their parents are informed and the kids are sent home to rest and their learning is also shifted to modular. They can return to school if they are healed already. The same applies to teachers and other school personnel who will suffer symptoms; they file sick leave.
“We are happy in DepEd because we have our designated teachers as nurses so sila gid na ya ang nagasunod sa mga protocols sa school kag ang aton division may mga nurses man kita kag doctor assigned in the district,” she added.
Meanwhile, Ma. Lera Cynthia Quijada, project development officer IV of DepEd-6 Education Support Services Division (ESSD), reported that since the start of the face-to-face classes in Western Visayas, there is no reported COVID-19 infection among schools in the region.
She attributed this to the adherence to the health protocols of the schools as prescribed by the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF), Department of Health (DOH) and DepEd./PN
