17 March 2020

ATTY. ULPIANO P. SARMIENTO, III, Ph.D.

DEAN
School of Law
San Beda College – Alabang

Dear Papa Dean,

Greetings in the name of peace!

First and foremost amidst the palpable crisis, we would like to wish you and your
family good health and we hope that you are safe from the prevalent threat and
contagion that is brought about by the COVID19-outbreak. You, your family, the
entire school administration, student body, and the well-being of our Filipino
brothers and sisters are in our prayers at this worrisome time.

President Rodrigo Duterte addressed our nation last March 12, suspending classes
until April 12 and suspending land, air, and sea-based travels up until April 14, with
this, many of our students decided to be with their respective families at the
respective provinces during this distress. Some students have urgently went home
and thus, have left most of their academic materials in Alabang and some also only
rely on the resources of our SOL library provides.

With the recent announcement of President Rodrigo Duterte, placing the entire island
of Luzon under “enhanced community quarantine” in efforts to contain the threat of
the further COVID-19 outbreak, it has sparked panic and anxiety within the
community and has thus led us to resort to alternative methods to conduct our classes
and continue our education, specifically, holding online classes via Zoom, Viber,
Google Classroom, Skype and etc. However, the SLG has received an overwhelming
amount of messages from a significant number of students, appealing and raising
their concerns with regard to its accessibility, efficiency and financial capabilities to
be able to avail of the quality education our dear professors provide. Students who
have gone home to their provinces to stay with their families have a hard time
connecting with us through this online platforms and some have told us that they do
not have any access to internet connection at all. Others do not have the same internet
capacity to avail quality online classes with the said applications or tools mentioned
above.

Furthermore all of us would need to prepare for the greater threat that the COVID-
19 contagion brings about, as the suspension of public transports and closing down
of banks and other institutions and businesses, has provoked mental anguish, anxiety,
panic and would affect the mental health of some and in fact, the Alabang Hills
Village Association has released a memo confirming that we have one AHV resident
who is under observation for COVID-19, and one SOL student has already disclosed
that his family is under observation, albeit their exposure happened after the
suspension of classes.

It is in the greatest faith that we appeal to your good office, in consideration of the
pleas of the student body to suspend online classes and recitations. To substitute for
said class suspensions, we would like to propose assigned weekly readings and home
works all to be submitted upon resumption of classes.

Although we know that you, our professors, and the school administration have our
best interests at heart in our continuing and giving quality education, it has come to
our attention that it is of paramount concern that all students must be able to access
this quality education your humble office provide us and that the distress brought
about the COVID-19 outbreak can affect us mentally and physically.

Thank you, Papa Dean. We sincerely hope for your favorable reply and may we all
join in spirit and individual efforts to fight this life-threatening matter.

That in all things, God may be glorified!

VALERIE MAE O. TIO

PRESIDENT
School of Law Government
San Beda College – Alabang