DepEd defends allowing anti-drug event amid nCoV scare

ACT Philippines accused the Department of Education (DepEd) of violating its own directive against large gatherings during the novel coronavirus threat by allowing an anti-drug activity for students.

The teachers' group pointed out that the Philippine National Police (PNP) held an anti-drug culmination activity for nearly a thousand students at Ramon Magsaysay High School in Quezon City, with a DepEd undersecretary as the guest of honor.

This event occurred despite DepEd's recent memorandum suspending school activities involving learners and advising them to avoid crowded places to prevent the spread of the 2019-nCoV ARD.

ACT questioned how the PNP activity was permitted when even regular flag ceremonies were banned, suggesting that the drug war was prioritized over student health.

DepEd Undersecretary Alain Pascua clarified that the activity was allowed because it was an in-campus event with no students from other schools attending, and preventive measures for 2019-nCoV ARD were observed.

Pascua stated that DepEd allows activities within the school as long as personnel and learners exhibiting respiratory infections are prohibited from attending and cited a specific part of their memorandum that allows in-campus congregations if health protocols are followed.

DepEd accused ACT of "maliciously using and interpreting" the agency's nCoV directive to "advance their political agenda against the administration's anti-drugs campaign" and urged the group to help fight the virus instead of sowing divisions.