Addressing infodemic through the comprehensive competency framework of media and information literacy.

As the world experiments with multiplex approaches to achieve a free pandemic society, infodemic pillages the online and offline realms, which exacerbates the spectrum of media fragilities, especially for particular age groups. Misinformation and disinformation related to health, political, and social issues, among others, deter the thin line that demarcates official reports from fake news. As a response to the COVID-19 infodemic, a curriculum and competency framework for media and information literacy can help promote a critical understanding of communications content for people to become media literate citizens. Incorporating the framework in the political and educational spheres enables the people, especially the dominant media users, to reinforce reliable information through responsible content-sharing on media platforms, which is essential for public health safety.

Risk-based approach for a return to in-person instruction in the Philippines.

The government of the Republic of the Philippines has suspended physical classes since the onset of the pandemic cases in 2020. On 20 September 2021, President Rodrigo Duterte authorized the return to in-person instruction for a limited number of schools in low-risk areas. The state has acknowledged the health concern related to young individuals that the prolonged suspension of face-to-face classes cause. Although equity in education is consistent with the return to physical classes, the danger remains high as the health care system continues to battle the public health emergency. A risk-based approach is necessary in the implementation of the pilot schools to operate safely.

Socio-educational implications of technology use during COVID-19: A case study in General Santos City, Philippines.

Digital technology has served people for educative purposes and formation of virtual social connections for the co-existence of human relationships amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This article presents the socio-educational implications of the newly-formed virtual relations made possible through technology. It explores the use of emerging technologies and the effect of these technologies to fulfill the social and educational needs of the stakeholders in times of a crisis or emergency. The use of emerging technologies paved the way for the stakeholders to establish virtual relationships with a common goal to rid quarantine boredom, provide relief efforts, and educate the virtual community relative to COVID-19 while maintaining a safe environment. The authors recommend for an empirical research on the newly-existing online group relationships and how these virtual relationships and emerging technologies can affect social relations and human learning behaviors.