BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The child-minding facility of Army’s 3rd Infantry Division at Camp Macario Peralta in Jaminda, Capiz, is now open to serve children of its soldiers and civilian employees’ dependents.
1Lt. Maria Allein Veluz, Gender and Development Office (GADO) chief, yesterday said that they have now 24 enrollees to the child-minding facility, which will implement the blended learning modality that combines online and modular classes.
But for now, she added that they would only cater to the dependents of 3ID personnel, with minimum health standards to be observed during the implementation of the learning modality.
Brig. Gen Noel Baluyan, Assistant Division Commander of 3ID, said “The mere fact that the generation of children who happen to witness the start of the pandemic are the ones who are greatly affected by this so called ‘new normal’ system of education, subsequently suffering from the disadvantages it brings”.
From struggling to catch a strong wifi signal to experiencing loss of attention and too much screen dependency without assuring a quality education for our children, is a very big challenge to all parents, Baluyan also said.
Maj. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, 3ID commander, in a statement, congratulated the Gender and Development Office for the successful opening of the said facility.
“The opening of the 3ID Child-Minding Facility is part of the Division’s service philosophy, which centers on the welfare of our soldiers, including their dependents. Through our learning facility, we can deliver quality care and education to the children of our personnel through a blended learning approach despite the pandemic,” Arevalo, who supervises Army units stationed in Regions 6 and 7, said.
The supervision of the GAD office in the said learning facility is under the implementing rules and regulations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in compliance with the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) and Republic Act 9710 known as the Magna Carta of Women, which was to establish a child-care facility and breastfeeding room for women in the military as well as women civilian employee.*
