Bong Go: In-person classes fine, but prioritize students’ safety

Sen. Bong Go urged education authorities and institutions to safeguard the health of students in light of the Commission on Higher Education's announcement that colleges and universities will no longer be permitted to hold online classes in the coming semester, unless given specific clearance.

Go said that while he welcomes the return of normalcy to the country, including the holding of full physical education classes, the the safety of students from Covid-19 is still a priority.

"As Chair ng Senate Committee on Health, my primary concern is the health and welfare of our students. 'Wag nating ipasa ang burden sa ating mga estudyante," Go said in an ambush interview after aiding fire victims in Las Piñas City on 18 November.

A memorandum from CHED said, "The impact of resuming on-site learning, also known as classroom-based, face-to-face, or in-person learning experiences on the overall well-being of higher education learners cannot be overemphasized, even in situations where emerging technologies, modalities, and methodologies of learning have been rapidly developed and implemented."

Go said:
"Ang apela ko po, sumunod tayo sa mga health protocols at 'wag maging kampante dahil nandidiyan pa po ang banta ng Covid. Delilado pa rin tayo."

He reiterated the importance of getting vaccinated: "Kaya paigtingin natin ang ating pagbabakuna. Sa hindi pa bakunado, alam n'yo mababa ang ating booster vaccination rate sa ngayon. Ang iba nakukuntento na sa initial doses, 'wag ho kayong makuntento. Kung qualified kayo sa booster magpa-booster na po kayo.

"At ang mga bata naman magpabakuna na kayo. Mas protektado kayo kapag bakunado kayo. Sabi ko nga, ang buhay ay hindi po pelikula, wala pong part 2. A lost life is a lost life forever. Kaya ingat pa rin tayo. Based on good science naman ang pagbubukas ng full face-to-face, sang-ayon naman po ako dito, pero karagdagang pag-iingat po ang importante."