Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla on Monday shared his sentiments over the planned learning scheme of the Department of Education (DepEd) as the country battles the COVID-19 pandemic as he noted the need for budget in this shift.
Addressing Education Secretary Leonor Briones, Remulla stated that the local government of Cavite needs at least P5 billion for this modular type of learning.
“Please correct me if I am wrong. Sa ilalim ng plano na modular teaching/learning process ng DepEd, para sa 600,000 na mag-aaral ng Cavite, ay kailangan namin maghanda ng P5 bilyon para maipatupad ito,” Remulla wrote.
[Under this planned modular teaching/learning process of DepEd, for the 600,000 students of Cavite, at least P5 Billion is needed for it to be implemented.]
“Ayon rin sa plano, ang DepEd national ay walang contribution para dito at ito ay 100% na papasanin ng LGU,” he added.
[According to the plan, the national DepEd will not have any contribution to this and it will be 100% shouldered by the LGU.]
According to Remulla, Cavite only has a budget of P4.7 billion for 2020. Of this amount, P1 billion was already used for the province’s COVID-19 response programs while P2.1 billion was used for salaries and the operating budget of the province.
He added that P1 billion was for hospitals. Aside from these, Cavite still has various programs for more or less 4.5 million residents.
“Lalo pa madadagdagan ang mga mag-aaral na aasa sa DepEd system. Sa Cavite pa lamang po ito. Paano pa po ang malalayo na lalawigan at siyudad na mas menos ang kakayahan?” he said.
[More students will become dependent in DepEd system. This is in Cavite alone. What more for far-flung and rural areas who does not have the capacity?]
“I am not a complainer. This week we will present our Cavite Educational Plan. It is our local solution to a national problem,” Remulla said.
He lamented the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the gap between rich and needy families.
“It is unfortunate that at the time of COVID, every Filipino student can study but only the rich get to learn,” he added.
