ACT As One Partylist to push for closing classrooms shortage gap
ACT As One Partylist said it would focus on funding government infrastructure projects that would reduce the classroom shortage in the country, now at 123,994, if fortunate enough to win seats in the House of Representatives.
“Patuloy na bumababa ang mga kaso ng COVID-19 sa bansa. Unti-unti nang nagbubukas ang ating ekonomiya. At hindi natin namamalayan, Alert Level 0 na tayo at back-to-school na ang ating mga anak,” Atty. Reynold Munsayac, first nominee of ACT As One Partylist, said.
“Pero sana sa kanilang pagbabalik sa paaralan, wala nang magkla-klase sa ilalim ng mga puno. Wala nang alternate classes na pang-umaga at panghapon kasi kulang ang classroom sa mga paaralan. Mas mainam na pagpasok ng ating mga mag-aaral, may naghihintay na mga bagong classroom,” he added.
At present, according to data from DepEd, there are a total of 730,389 instructional classrooms, while total enrolment is 22,707,421 and classroom shortage is 123,994. Region IV-A has the highest shortage at 20.340, followed by NCR at 11,469 and Region III at 9,984.
Top cities in NCR with the highest shortages in classrooms are Taguig, Caloocan and Manila.
“Kahit mismo sa NCR, kulang ang mga classrooms. Maganda ding pag-aralan ang panukalang imbes na low-rise ang mga gusaling itatayo ay dagdagan ng palapag dahil sa kakulangan ng espasyo lalo na sa mga matataong lungsod,” said Munsayac, a former PCCG chairman.
“Ang mahalaga ay mapagtuunan ito ng pansin sa nalalapit na pagbabalik ng face-to-face classes. Dapat ang pamahalaan ang nagso-solve ng problema sa kawalan ng classrooms, hindi ang guro o paaralan ang maghahanap ng solusyon,” he further expressed.
ACT As One, a partylist group advocating for public health and social justice, was initially organized as rapid response group composed of concerned citizens that provided aid to hospitals, medical institutions and medical frontliners struggling under heavy stress at the height of the pandemic in 2020.
It provided, among others, PPEs, medical equipment, food and other supplies to hospitals, and even established its own COVID isolation facilities in UP Diliman when the cases surged.
