MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is looking at convertingc nationwide into digital workplaces and classrooms as a result of the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon and in parts of the Visayas and Mindanao to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

DICT Undersecretary Eliseo Rio Jr. said they expect the resurgence of internet cafés in the post-lockdown scenario as a result of the protracted lockdown when many employees and students resorted to working from home and relied mostly on the internet.

“DICT under Secretary (Gregorio) Honasan has a program to come up with digital classrooms, digital workplaces,” Rio told The STAR.

With the existing internet cafes in many barangays, Rio said these shops could be tapped by the DICT to become digital workplaces and classrooms.

Rio said that currently, internet cafés have mostly become gaming hubs.

“They used to serve as centers for gaming. Sometimes, young people go there to do their assignments but it’s still mostly for gaming,” Rio noted.

“We already have the Telecommuting Law. And now, the Civil Service Commission has also allowed it,” Rio pointed out.

“The Telecommuting Law was mainly for the private sector. But because of this pandemic crisis, our Civil Service Commission also included government employees,” Rio said.

Class suspension

The proposal to suspend classes until December this year is based on interaction models showing high risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission among students, the head of the University of the Philippines Pandemic Response Team bared yesterday.

Responding to concerns over his proposal, UP Resilience Institute executive director Mahar Lagmay, who heads the response team, said he was merely presenting what their models showed when he made the suggestion during a press briefing organized by Malacañang on Tuesday.

“UP just comes out with models and data sets that are presented to the government so that it can be one of the bases for one of their decisions,” he said in an interview with The Chiefs on Cignal TV’s One News on Wednesday night.

“It’s not for us to make the decision. Whatever decisions are made, we perfectly realize that there are a lot of consequences. There will be consequences not just for the education sector, it will be for all sectors,” he added.

Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chairman J. Prospero De Vera III earlier scored the proposal, saying it is irresponsible at this point in time to suggest the suspension of classes until December.

“To arbitrarily say there should be no classes until December 2020 and impose this policy even in areas that are COVID-free or where the number of persons under monitoring or investigation is small is irresponsible at this point in time,” De Vera said.

Lagmay said the suggestion was based on models showing that most of the interaction among different age groups happens among those between zero and 19 years old.

“Where do they interact? In the schools. What we are saying is that it is the interaction that we want to minimize. Because if we reduce that kind of interaction in that age range, then we reduce the transmission significantly,” he added.

The UP expert, however, said that this would not mean an end to the learning process as they are only referring to physical interactions.

“It does not mean that learning will end, because there are alternative means of learning,” he said.

De Vera raised the same issue, noting alternative modes of delivery other than physical contact.

“Government must consider the economic impact of this proposal on the 1,600+ private universities that will not operate for half a year while continuing to pay the salaries of their faculty, employees and maintain their facilities,” added the CHED chief.

The Department of Education (DepEd) urged the UP experts to engage with them regarding their suggestion.

“This is under deliberation and consultation within DepEd and with partners. We are looking at facts and evidence, including theirs,” said Education Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan.

“We hope the UP experts would not preempt this decision without even checking with the department,” he added.

In the same program, Teachers Dignity Coalition chairman Benjo Basas said the decision to open classes should be based on recommendations from scientific and health experts.

He lauded the initiative of DepEd to conduct consultations regarding the opening of classes, but maintained that this should not be a popularity contest.

Basas also expressed support to the agency’s plan to integrate online learning when classes resume.

He stressed, however, that support must be given to teachers and students to ensure that everyone has access to the gadgets and internet connection needed for this mode of education.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones earlier said responses in the broad consultations that they are doing “favor any day in August” as the preferred opening of the school year.

The agency vowed to take into account all factors in making the decision.

“What we assure our learners, parents, teachers and the general public is that any decision we will make for the continuation of learning will have their health, safety and well-being as primary consideration,” said Briones.

“We are accelerating the preparation of our Learning Continuity Plan, preparing benefits for our teaching and non-teaching staff, ensuring the readiness and cleanliness of our school infrastructure and developing alternative delivery modes of learning,” she added. – With Janvic Mateo