MANILA - Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto on Monday said the local government is finding ways to give away tablets to senior high school students graduating from public schools in the city.

Pasig City earlier issued tablets and gadgets to public school students who were forced to shift to virtual classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pasig City Mayor @VicoSotto says local govt to ask COA if they can donate tablets issued to graduating Grade 12 students in public schools. pic.twitter.com/JUPvol3cEq

— Kat Domingo (@_katrinadomingo) June 7, 2021

"Magpapaalam tayo sa COA (Commission on Audit), titingnan natin sa mga usaping legal kung puwede nating i-donate yung mga tablets na hawak ng mga graduating students," he said in a video posted on his Facebook page.

(We will ask permission from the Commission on Audit to see if legally, we can donate the tablets that are issued to graduating students.)

"Kasi technically, property yan ng lokal na pamahalaan. Ang accountable officer diyan yung mga teachers natin. Siyempre kinakabahan din 'yung teachers natin baka sa kanila hanapin," he said.

(Technically, that is the property of the local government. The teachers are the accountable officers for those gadgets. Of course, teachers are also nervous that they might be held liable for those tablets.)

• LGUs planning to donate gadgets to schools told to comply with DepEd specs

The effort will only cover graduating senior high school students as those moving from elementary to junior high school may secure new tablets after their moving-up ceremony, Sotto said.

"'Yung mga Grade 12, pag-college, hindi naman under ng DepEd yun, so pipilitin natin [na i-donate sa kanila yung tablets]," he said.

(Grade 12 students who will go to college are no longer under the Department of Education so we will try to give them the tablets.)

"Hopefully it all works out pero yan po ang gagawin natin doon (but that is what we will do there)," he said.

Last year, the Pasig City government spent about P1.3 billion to purchase 138,000 gadgets for local public school children who are in need of gadgets for their virtual classes.

• Vico Sotto explains why Pasig has budget to buy gadgets for distance learning
• Pasig raises P1.2B for gadgets for public schools

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began last year, the Philippines has yet to resume face-to-face classes in elementary, high school and senior high school.

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