- MITCH M. LIPA
The Bacolod Emergency Operation Center, through its Executive Director Em Ang, had asked the City Schools Division Office to temporarily stop its scheduled face-to-face teachers’ seminars.
This after the reported death of a district supervisor and a principal, who attended a series of seminars, conducted by the Department of Education in the previous month. Both school officials tested positive for COVID-19.
Ang said they had a zoom meeting with Bacolod City Schools Superintendent Gladys Amylaine Sales yesterday and she reiterated the Executive Order from the Office of the Mayor that strongly discourages face-to-face seminars, even with a small number of participants.
The EOC director said they have monitored DepEd-sponsored seminars in some hotels in Bacolod last month.
Provincial Schools Division Superintendent Marsette Sabbaluca, meanwhile, said she already ordered the cancellation of scheduled face-to-face seminars and trainings of teachers and instead, conduct these activities online or virtual.
Sabbaluca admitted that a series of seminars was held in the month of May as part of the Division Development Plan and hey also had series of trainings for various different school tasks.
She added that the face-to-face seminars were conducted with small number of participants and it was decided and contracted previous months ago, when the COVID-19 status in the province was manageable.
They decided to push through with the seminars since the entire province had been under the Modified General Community Quarantine for a long period of time, said.
Sabbaluca stressed that they conducted the seminars last month with strict observance of the health protocols.
For their scheduled seminars this month, she said the participants were already informed that it will be conducted virtually and they have to go to their respective schools, where the internet signal is good. – MML
