Parents and volunteers repaint school chairs in preparation for the resumption of face-to-face classes in an elementary school in Quezon City, Philippines on Aug 5, 2022. - Reuters
MANILA (Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network): The Philippine National Police (PNP) will deploy around 23,000 personnel nationwide for the resumption of in-person or face-to-face classes in schools nationwide starting next week.
PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo said it would send police personnel near schools and assistance desks.
“We’ll be deploying more or less 23,000 plus PNP personnel nationwide, particularly on the premises of schools and established police assistance desks,” Fajardo said during the Laging Handa briefing.
“Students and parents with security concerns can quickly seek the help of our police force,” she added.
Fajardo said that as early as July, they have coordinated with school administrators and government agencies.
Aside from schools, Fajardo said crowd build-up is also expected in transport hubs and terminals as some schools implement a complete face-to-face set-up.
“To ensure that we maintain and observe minimum public health protocols, we will deploy personnel who will serve as PNP Covid-19 patrollers who will coordinate with the management of establishments and schools to ensure compliance with minimum public health standards and protocols,” Fajardo said.
The Department of Education earlier announced that classes for the school year 2022-2023 would resume on Aug 22.
Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said that while schools are transitioning to full in-person classes, they can implement combined face-to-face classes and distance learning from August until Oct 31.
By Nov 2, however, public and private schools all over the country must transition to five days of in-person classes.
