Dawn Volume 75 | November 2022
The Official Student Publication of the University of the East
UE-MANILA LOGS NEARLY 90 COVID CASES IN AUG-OCT 2022 Students, parents criticize UE’s poor COVID response by Karen Louise C. Delos Angeles & Florieghin A. Sanglitan
THE UNIVERSITY The of the East of theUniversity East (UE)–Manila has tallied 87 COVID-19 (UE)–Manila has tallied 87 cases in the first three months coronavirus cases in the first of the limited face-to-face classes three this firstmonths semester of the limited of A.Y. 2022face-to-face classes this first 2023, October semester, October 31 data from 31 data from the the UE-Manila UE-Manila Clinic Clinic reveals. reveal. University University health physician Dr. health physician Maximilian Chua confirmed Dr. Maximilian Chua confirmed that the College of Dentistry (CDent) recorded 77 cases or 88.51 percent of the total reported caseload in the University. Despite the increase in cases, the CDent administration did not declare any class suspensions at the College. The data also show that four COVID-19 positive cases were recorded from the College of Business Administration (CBA) and two cases from the College of Computer Studies and Systems (CCSS). Meanwhile, the College of Education (CEduc) and the College of Law (CLaw) registered one and three cases, respectively. UE Dentistry Student Council (DSC) President Alexandra Tan told the DAWN that the CDent administration provided health and safety measures, stressing that all rules are relevant and updated. “The only thing the admin[inistration] can do is to strictly monitor the health declaration form to have reliable information and implement the guidelines set by the University,” Tan underscored. Sam, a third-year Dentistry student, shared her experience on how the CDent administration handled her case after testing positive for COVID-19.
“They gave strict implementation regarding quarantine clearance before going back to class once tested negative already. If a student tested positive for COVID-19, those who were in close contact shall isolate as well. An alternative that the admin[istration] gave is to hold online classes instead to those sections who were affected,” she said. CDent Dean Rhodora Luciano affirmed that the College is “simply following the University health protocol like all Colleges are.” While Dentistry students were pleased with how the CDent administration handled those cases, Warrior students from other colleges were disappointed with the University’s poor and slow COVID-19 response. Management Accounting senior Samantha Barles told the DAWN bared that she was “disappointed” with UE-Manila CBA administration’s late release of health and safety guidelines in the event that a student contracted the virus. “Disappointed ako sa fact na nu’ng nagkaroon lang ng positive case saka lang nagkaroon ng guidelines when it comes sa mga isolation period, sino unang ko-contact-in if nalaman na positive, and such,” Barles stated. The Management Accounting student claimed that students and professors struggled on the first
day of classes since proper safety guidelines were not provided to them. She also mentioned that the lack of coordination between the CBA office and the UE-Manila Clinic caused confusion among students because the former’s instructions differed from those of the latter. “For me, bagsak ang implementation and kulang ng internal control ang UE when it comes sa mga gan’tong situation. Laging huli ang guidelines, kung kailan nagkaroon ng case saka palang sila maglalabas ng guidelines. Para bang ina-assume na nila na wala nang magiging aberya or magkakaroon ng positive COVID case sa University, kaya hindi sila maagap sa pag-release ng guidelines,” Barles blasted. Meanwhile, in response to the College’s reported case, the UE-Manila CBA Student Council requested for a one-week face-to-face class suspension. University President Ester Garcia, however, only approved the suspension four days after it was appealed. Accountancy junior Samantha Laoang criticized UE for the delayed in-person class suspension and lack of information provided to students. She lamented that the COVID-19 situation at the University had a negative impact on the mental health of not only the students but also parents and professors. “I am hoping na if ever this kind of situation
happened again, it will be settled as soon as possible. Mas mabilis sana [ang] pag-suspend and pagpapakalat ng news sa students kasi ang hirap, especially sa part ng parents na malayo sa kanilang mga anak. And the fact as well that some of our professors are prone to this kind of virus nag-ooverthink din sila,” she said. Furthermore, a parent who wished for her anonymity stated that the University must do a better job at ensuring the safety of the students, criticizing UE for its disorganized health and safety measures. “Actually, naguguluhan na kami sa mga protocols. Pinag-face-to-face nila ang mga bata tapos wala namang maayos na sistema. Walang kaalam-alam anak ko sa gagawin niya kasi [may] nagka-COVID daw sa College nila pero wala naman [naging] class suspension, ano ‘yun?” she lamented. Another parent also aired her frustrations with the University’s COVID-19 response, claiming that the University still pushed through with the on-site instructions despite not being ready. “Parang ‘di pa naman kasi handa ang UE tapos sinabak na ka[a]gad ‘yung mga estudyante. Anong akala nila sa mga anak namin hamster na hindi tatamaan ng virus? Tapos sinabi din sa’kin ng anak ko na wala daw binigay na guidelines sa kanila nu’ng simula pa lang,” the parent exclaimed. As of writing, the UE-Manila Clinic has already transitioned from test-based to symptom-based measures in accordance with the Department of Health (DOH) surveillance and detection protocols. “We give more weight to symptoms now than relying on test results, though we still do testing for confirmatory and validation purposes,” Dr. Chua explained.