Teachers laud DepEd for wellness break

Two major teachers' organizations on Thursday, Oct. 23, welcomed the Department of Education's (DepEd) decision to declare a wellness break for teachers and learners from Oct. 27 to 30.

- By MERLINA HERNANDO-MALIPOT

MWELL, Metro Pacific Investments Corp.’s (MPIC) digital healthcare arm, recently partnered with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to explore the integration of healthcare services into the government’s eGov PH App. MPIC said the collaboration aims to create the country’s first national digital health integration within a government platform, enabling millions of Filipinos to gain direct access to doctors, health records, and essential services. Signing the agreement were (from left) Chaye Cabal-Revilla, President and CEO, MWell, and Chief Finance, Risk, and Sustainability officer of MPIC; Manny V. Pangilinan, mWell Chairman and MPIC Chairman, President, and CEO; DICT Secretary Henry Aguda, and DICT Assistant Secretary Luis Miguel Planas.

In separate statements, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines and the Teachers' Dignity Coalition (TDC) hailed DepEd's move as a "hard-earned victory" for educators' well-being and a recognition of their longstanding appeal for rest and recovery time.

In a statement issued on Oct. 22, DepEd officially announced the health break for teachers and learners next week.

DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara emphasized the importance of rest and recovery for both teachers and students affected by recent typhoons, earthquakes, and flu.