Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said that majority of Filipinos support the proposal to ban cellphones in schools.
Gatchalian made the remark after a Pulse Asia survey showed that 76 percent of the 1,200 respondents favor the cellphone ban, 13 percent oppose the move, while 11 percent cannot decide whether they agree or disagree with the proposal.
The senator also pointed out that the proposal earned a positive feedback from majority of the respondents in Metro Manila (80 percent), Balanced Luzon (79 percent), Visayas (61 percent), and Mindanao (81 percent).
"Malinaw na suportado ng ating mga kababayan ang ating panukala na ipagbawal ang paggamit ng mga cellphones sa mga paaralan, lalo’t na’t ang paggamit nito sa oras ng klase ay maaaring makapinsala sa kanilang pag-aaral," Gatchalian said on the results of the survey.
"Kaya naman patuloy nating isinusulong ang panukalang batas na magbabawal sa paggamit ng cellphone sa oras ng klase," added the senator, who chairs the Senate Committee on Basic Education.
Gatchalian commissioned the survey conducted by Pulse Asia from June 17 to June 24.
Last June, Gatchalian filed Senate Bill No. 2706 that seeks to prohibit the use of mobile devices and other electronic gadgets by students from kindergarten to senior high school level during class hours.
SB 2706 cited 2022 data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) that shows that smartphone use distract eight out of 10 Filipino students, aged 15 years old, during class.
The study also shows that distraction due to smartphone use in class leads to a drop in performance in mathematics, science and reading.
