MARCH 19 2020

DR. MARIO TORRES
PRINCIPAL
DE LA SALLE - DASMARIÑAS,
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

Dear Principal Torres,

We address this open letter to your office and the DLSU-D Executive Committee to ask you to reconsider and revise the academic calendar, including the suspension of online classes that the Executive Committee has set for the sake of the DLSU-D SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL students.

It is undeniable that the rise of the COVID-19 has brought numerous establishments closing and suspending the workforce overtime, as the situation is nowhere getting better. This includes, malls, cafes, restaurants, and computer shops as well, that the Executive Committee may have advised the students to utilize if they do not have a reliable source of internet in their households.

The problem is the economic brunt it brought to families which breadwinners are hourly-workers and is earning minimum to low wage, they have to focus on sustaining the needs of the members of the family as everyone gathers at home, thus more on food consumption, water, and even electricity which bloats their bill at the end of the month. There is also a potential for long-term mental health consequences extending well beyond the duration of this pandemic which may lead students to perform unwell on their online classes that would already serve as a substitute to their regular ones. 

Authorities has also advised the citizens to stay inside their homes, and observe social distancing. Even though we can say that there are still internet cafes open in certain areas, we are still not assured that the appliances being used are disinfected and won't be clogged by many students coming from different universities that still promotes online classes.

The local public transportation has also been suspended by the government, preventing most of the citizens to travel across cities and towns to look for an internet cafe that they won't even be sure if it is open during the pandemic.

The Commission on Higher Education has stated in its CHED COVID-19 Advisory Number 3, Series of 2020 that Higher Educational Institutions should implement extraordinary and swift measures to address the needs of students, employees, and other stakeholders arising from COVID-related issues. Legal and operational directives coming from the National Government have been placed by Memorandum from Executive Secretary Medeldea, and Joint Resolution Nos. 11 & 12, series of 2020 of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease for the management of the COVID-19, emphasizing the severity of the situation to protect the interests of the people's health and well-being.

Suspending the classes virtually will not only cater or benefit those that are struggling due to the lockdown but will also promote other students to engage with their family and donate to the less fortunate that are severely suffering on this situation, also frontliners that asks for medical & sustenance donation since the gov't falls short on catering them. 

Let us help other's that has been left behind to move forward.

Sincerely Yours, 

Senior High School Students, 
De La Salle University Dasmariñas