MANILA, Philippines — Wish Music Awards will return to Araneta Coliseum this year but under a new normal setting.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wishers and music artists have remained in the safety of their homes but the music never stopped. For the 2021 Wish Music Awards, several OPM artists will once again provide world-class performances on January 17 at the Araneta Coliseum.

Minimum health standards will be implemented in the venue, with limited attendance. Those who will enter the Big Dome will also undergo swab testing before the event. Wearing of face mask and physical distancing are also a must for the event-goers.

Gloc-9, KZ Tandingan, Ben&Ben, SB19, and other OPM artists will perform at the WMA. The event will be hosted by Christian Bautista and Gretchen Ho and will be broadcasted live via YouTube.

The 6th WMA, which will be broadcasted LIVE at the Big Dome, features performances from @KZofficial @glocdash9 @BenAndBenMusic @SB19Official @ebmusichero @parokyaniedgar @PacquiaoMichael @clarabeninmusic @LeanneAndNaara @reeseypeasy @KeikoSoundsLike @DaWishfuls @GuySebastian pic.twitter.com/rABu5spxCl

— Wish FM 107.5 (@wish1075) January 10, 2021

Meanwhile, Wishers can vote for their favorite artists by visiting https://wish1075.com/wishawards/ or via the Wish 107.5 app.

The training of public school teachers for distance learning is set to be completed by July, according to the Department of Education (DepEd).

During the Senate Committee hearing on Thursday (June 25), DepEd reported that only 40 percent of the 800,000 public school teachers have completed their training.

Deped Undersecretary Tony Umali said there will be a massive training to be led by the National Educators Academy of the Philippines.

Senator Nancy Binay, meanwhile, questioned DepEd for the lack of “mapping” to determine the best learning modality in various areas in the country.

“Iyong training na gagawin sa teachers dapat angkop sa kakayahan ng lugar. For example, let’s say Bukidnon or Cordillera na alam naman natin mahirap ang signal. So why would we train our teachers for an online way of teaching our kids when alam naman natin na mukhang mahirap iyong ganung klase ng pagtuturo? (The training for teachers should be appropriate for the area. For example, let’s say in Bukidnon or Cordillera which we know have difficulty in signal. Why would we train our teachers for an online way of teaching kids when we know that mode of teaching would be difficult),” she said.

DepEd said they are conducting surveys to determine the capacity of students and teachers for alternative learning modality under distance learning.

“Kasi po kasabay nga po ng aming registration form ay may survey, dapat malaman namin kung ano ba ang pinakamabisang modality, pamamaraan ng pagtuturo at pag-aaral ng mga bata, (With our registration form, we also have a survey. It should help us determine what is the best modality, mode of learning for the students’ education),” Umali said.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has already prepared the educational radio programs and scripts for the digital programs for Grade 9 and 10 Math and Science lessons.

Meanwhile, DepEd calls on private schools to suspend tuition fee hike and other fees.

“The Department of Education appeals to private educational institutions in basic education to defer increases in tuition and other miscellaneous fees or charges for School Year 2020-2021. In view of the financial constraints that parents and learners are expected to face due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation,” DepEd said. AAC (with reports from Harlene Delgado)

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday (June 11) reiterated that they do not accept cash donations for their online learning aid.

The Education Department is already partnering with various individuals, groups, and organizations who are willing to donate cellphones and tablets before classes resume on August 24.

Meanwhile, the department continues to give priority to families with no internet access and gadget to receive digital equipment.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones said having free WiFi access will also help students for their online classes.

“All of us know that we do not have full connectivity in all places of the Philippines and this is why we are also supporting your bill for the free wifi, for example to make it available of free use of facilities for DepEd Commons from the servers themselves,” she said.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Gregorio Honasan already signed a memorandum order to expedite the implementation of free wifi access for teachers and students.

The DICT currently targets 2,527 live sites in public schools and 1,804 live sites in state universities, and in Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) institutions before the year ends. —AAC (with reports from Harlene Delgado)