MANILA — Some elementary and high school students in Metro Manila returned to their classrooms on Wednesday as schools resumed in-person classes.

The resumption coincides with the start of the "expansion phase" of in-person classes in the National Capital Region (NCR), under which more schools have been allowed to conduct face-to-face sessions.

The Department of Education in a previous statement said the 28 schools that joined the "pilot phase" can carry on with their in-person classes. The agency could not immediately say how many schools are reopening under the expansion phase.

One of the schools restarting in-person classes under the new phase is Pio del Pilar Elementary School in Manila, where students and teachers buzzed with excitement over their return, after nearly 2 years of remote learning due to the pandemic.

"'Pag face-to-face [classes], madali kasi pagkatapos ng turo mo, puwede nang i-check 'yong gawa ng bata. Hindi kagaya ng online, iniipon namin. Kung minsan ang tagal mag-submit ng bata ng output nila," said teacher Lolibeth Recto.

(It's easier when it's face-to-face classes because after you teach the students, you can immediately check their outputs. Unlike in online classes, the activities pile up. Sometimes it takes a while before students submit their outputs.)

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Principal Susan Ramos assured that the school was prepared to isolate anyone who gets sick or experiences COVID-19 symptoms.

"'Pag may symptoms ang bata, ipapa-test namin siya. I-isolate kaagad siya. Mayroon kaming clinic," Ramos said.

(If a child experiences symptoms, we will immediately test and isolate them. We have a clinic.)

The expansion phase is the second in a three-part plan to gradually reopen basic education schools under the continued COVID-19 pandemic.

• DepEd starts 'progressive expansion' of in-person classes

The phase was supposed to start in January but was postponed after the country experienced a resurgence in COVID-19 infections, triggered by the highly contagious omicron variant.

Under DepEd guidelines, only schools under Alerts Level 1 and 2 can hold in-person classes. The start of the expansion phase also varies per region or school division, depending on the readiness of the schools.

— Report from Arra Perez, ABS-CBN News

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