Press Release
May 26, 2020

SPONSORSHIP SPEECH
AN ACT AMENDING SECTION 3 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7797, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS "AN ACT TO LENGTHEN THE SCHOOL CALENDAR FROM TWO HUNDRED (200) DAYS TO NOT MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED TWENTY (220) CLASS DAYS"
SENATOR JOEL VILLANUEVA

Thank you Mr. President. Thank you Mr. Majority Floor Leader, distinguished colleagues. Mr. President it is my honor to co-sponsor Senate Bill No 1541 under Committee Report No. 87 introduced by the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture, headed by our seatmate, brother Sen. Wyn Gatchalian.

Allow me to state, Mr. President, on the onset to congratulate our chair for calendaring and immediately acting in this very important measure. This measure is yet another "coronavirus response bill" and hence, I appeal to our distinguished colleagues that it should be dealt with utmost urgency. It will affect, Mr. President, more than 27-million Filipino learners, 1.2-million teachers and school personnel, and 61,000 public and private schools in the country.

You see, distinguished colleagues, Mr. President, school opening is the issue. It is not just a minor side concern. Sadly, our 25-year old Republic Act No. 7797 has fixed the start of the school year on the first Monday of June but not later than the last day of August. DepEd has also set the date of the school opening for the coming school year 2020-2021 on August 24, based on a national online survey.

Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, we are in a precarious situation because of the COVID-19. I sincerely believe that we must allow some flexibility in our laws. But, we have no choice but to let hard science and not public opinion surveys or guesses call the shots.

No less than the President himself, President Rodrigo Duterte, reacted yesterday about this particular issue. We support the concerns of the President.

For this reason, our original proposal contained in Senate Bill No. 1452 seeks to give our DepEd Secretary the flexibility to open the school year 2020-2021 any time after August based on the assessments and recommendations of the IATF.

However, Mr. President, after participating in the virtual hearing presided by Senator Win Gatchalian, and knowing how this particular issue has caused divisiveness and anxiety to our people, we agree on the consolidated bill that it must be the President who must have the power to set a different date for the start of the school year nationwide or in specific areas upon the recommendation of the Secretary of Education.

Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic lends urgency into this piece of legislation, Mr. President. This measure will consolidate the efforts of education stakeholders in mitigating damages and surmounting challenges in this crisis. More importantly, this measure will pacify stakeholders and reassure parents who remain wary of sending their kids back to school while the pandemic is still in place.

Again, Mr. President, I appeal for the immediate passage of Senate Bill 1541.

Maraming maraming salamat po at pagpalain po

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