1st day of school starts well; teachers watch for A(H1N1)

MANILA, Philippines - While the first day of school went off to a relatively smooth start Monday, school authorities kept close watch over students for signs of the A(H1N1) virus. Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said Monday he ordered all schools to make sure they have running water and teachers to monitor symptoms of the disease. In an interview on dzBB Lapus said the Department of Education (DepEd) would make sure there is enough running water so pupils could wash their hands. He added that the DepEd and Health department have set up a response alert system similar to that of typhoons that would allow school authorities to suspend classes if needed. During the weekend, the Departments of Health and Education junked last-minute calls to suspend classes over the A(H1N1) scare, saying that doing so might cause panic and disrupt preparations for the opening of classes in 43,000 schools nationwide. On the other hand, Lapus urged parents to call their “Oplan Balik Eskwela" command center at 636-1663 and text 0919-4560027 for complaints. He said the DepEd has quick response teams that are on call from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Mula last week, Sabado at Linggo marami tayong natatanggap at nare-resolve na mga problema [We have a quick response team from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. We have been receiving complaints since last week and we have acted on them]," Lapus said in an interview on dzXL radio. In a separate interview on dzXL radio, Lapus also reminded school authorities against collecting fees of any kind during this month. He said voluntary fees could be collected from Grade 5 and up only starting July. “Dapat walang bayaran sa public school ... Mula prep hanggang Grade 4 sa buong school year dapat walang bayaran [There are no fees to be paid in public schools. From prep to Grade 4 there are absolutely no fees]," he said in an interview on dzXL radio. For her part, Department of Education (DepEd) Metro Manila director Teresita Domalanta said there were no reports from the field recommending suspension of classes. Even in Navotas where there is flooding, there was no recommendation to suspend classes, she said on dzBB radio. Domalanta and Lapus were at Rizal National High School in Pasig City as they went around to inspect the opening of classes in schools in Metro Manila. Meanwhile, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando urged the public to call their hot line at 136 to report “pocket" floods. “Umuulan ngayon, kami ay humahanda riyan [It’s raining now and we are preparing for it]," he said. In Quezon City, radio dzBB’s Louie Garcia reported that students started showing up at Ramon Magsaysay High School in Cubao as early as 5 a.m. The first shift included first- and fourth-year students whose classes were scheduled from 6 a.m. until noon. A second shift of second- and third-year students was to hold classes from 1 to 7 p.m. At least 5,000 students have enrolled there as of Monday morning, but teachers there expect the number of students to go up to 7,000. In Pasay City, dzBB’s Manny Vargas reported that police kept close watch as well over bus terminals as students were expected to arrive from the provinces. Police on alert Police in Metro Manila went on full alert on the first day of school Monday, going around schools as well as transport facilities and areas where students converge. Metro Manila police head Chief Superintendent Roberto Rosales personally led the inspections at the Ramon Magsaysay High School in Manila. “Sisiguraduhin nating maayos ang pagsakay at pagbaba ng pasahero, kung saan pumupunta at tipon ang estudyante [We want to make sure students can use public transport, and to secure areas where students will converge]," Rosales said in an interview on dzBB radio. The inspections for the day will include those on the Light and Metro Rail Transit (LRT-1 and 2, and MRT-3) systems, he said. In a separate interview on dzXL, Rosales said the full alert status will continue until the opening of classes in college on June 8, or until the situation “normalizes." He said there will be 11,000 police personnel on duty in Metro Manila at any given time. “Patuloy magiging ganito ang bilang ng kapulisan natin sa araw-araw [This will be our status every day]," he said. On the other hand, the Philippine National Police Web site said its alert status for the day was at “heightened." Rosales also said they will conduct symposiums at schools to teach students tips on how to avoid being victimized by snatchers and muggers. He also urged the public to call his cell phone at 0908-6363413 to report crimes. On the other hand, Rosales said the first day of school will be a test for their closed-circuit television system. - GMANews.TV