Duterte Says 'No' to Going Back to School Without COVID-19 Vaccine

President Rodrigo Duterte addressed the nation once again last night, and during the televised speech, he touched upon the resumption of classes. The President expressed his concerns for students and their safety, saying that without a vaccine, the resumption of classes should not be a discussion.

“I will not allow the opening of classes na magdikit-dikit ’yang mga bata. Bahala nang hindi na makatapos—for this generation, wala na makatapos na doktor o engineer. Wala nang aral, laro na lang,” the President said. “Unless I am sure that they are really safe, it’s useless to be talking about the opening of classes. Para sa akin, bakuna muna. Pag nandiyan na ang bakuna, okay na.”

As per the Department of Education’s (DepEd) last announcement, classes for S.Y. 2020-2021 are scheduled to resume on August 24. However, Malacañang said in a different statement that this is not yet absolute, as there may still be certain areas that remain under modified enhanced community quarantine come that date.

The DepEd and the Malacañang have yet to comment further on the President’s most recent statement.