By John Mark M. Lising, Office Clerk, Division Office

The COVID-19 pandemic brought major changes in people’s lives. The things
which were normally being done before are now modified. Further, this pandemic caused
fear and civil unrest due to number of deaths it caused, hence the World Health
Organization (WHO) is continuously advising on how to help in preventing the spread of
the disease—washing of hands, observance of health protocols, etc. (World health
organization. 2020).
According to Maru, D. (2020), he describes the response of Philippines in COVID
19 as being one of the longest and strictest lockdowns in the world. Enforcement of
various restrictions together with other health protocols like the 1-meter social distancing
and wearing of face mask and face shield is observed. Everyone who violates the
protocols are given proper disciplining action by the national and local government
through its uniformed personnel.
The pandemic also changed Philippine educational landscape—emergence of
various learning delivery modalities, adjustment in curriculum (MELCs), and
implementation of various health protocols. Despite of these and the temporary closure
of schools, its role in aiding Filipinos from information dissemination to recovery
continued. Schools Division Offices mobilized school heads to assure that health
protocols are being implemented in their respective schools and programs related to
psychosocial wellness are also being catered among learners.

Filipinos have their shares of their COVID-19 experiences, and these have
become subject of various medical journals to study the behavior of COVID-19 virus
and the symptoms it causes. All these have become essential in government’s effort in
making people aware of the facts about the virus, making education a vessel of
information to reach all.
Despite the harsh and deadly pandemic, COVID-19 still didn’t stop the students
who wants to learn. Schools have opened classes in the form of technology, online
class. If we look into the brighter side, the students were still given a chance to continue
learning and propagating their knowledge. It benefits the parents greatly because their
child is safely studying at home without the risk of everyday travel. It greatly reduced the
cost of sending the child to school because parents don’t have to pay for fare or gas
anymore. Students doesn’t need to wake up early to get ready for school and uniforms
aren’t required when attending online classes.
Now there’s a downside to this online class. Poor families who cannot afford
gadgets which is required for taking classes online are forced to stop studying
temporarily. Not everyone can afford a basic family needs. Others are just barely
making it through the day. Now when it comes to studying, is it the same when it’s face
to face? The answer is no. Many students are complaining about how hard it is to
understand a certain subject. Unlike when its face to face, the teacher can attend a child
when they’re having trouble about the lesson. Some classes are pre-recorded videos so
learners cannot ask questions when they don’t understand the lesson.

This pandemic affected us all but because of that, our Mother Nature is healing.
The clouds that are full of smoke are now clear. The busy streets, the vehicles pumping
smokes, the factories dumping waste. They’re all gone even if its temporary. Maybe it’s
the Almighty One’s way to help us realize that we’re destroying the place we inhabit.