The shift to remote learning created a ripple effect throughout the education sector, affecting businesses that primarily cater to students.A 7-story dorm on Katipunan once buzzed with students asleep on the communal couches, “study” groups having Netflix parties in the outdoor study area, and the occasional outsider boyfriend or girlfriend waiting for a partner in the lobby, because that’s as far as they were allowed. Swiftly, as the lockdown was declared, it became a ghost town.
Like the staff, some students left their belongings, thinking it would only be a matter of time before classes would return. Dorm personnel had to assist in packing their things and sending them back to their respective provinces.Nakakalungkot, kasi when we did the packing, mayroong mga tenants na nag-re-request na video call sila. So we're packing things na naka-video call kami.
Rent in dorms and bedspaces in the Katipunan area range from around P4,550 to P18,000 a month, based on rates listed in dorms’ official websites and other real estate companies like Lamudi. For high-rise condominiums in the same area, 10 listings yielded an P18,700-average for a monthly rental. He and his partner have several properties – all around the U-Belt area: Mendiola, Pureza, and Quiapo. Once in hot demand due to thousands of students all around and workers from nearby Makati, the couple struggles to attract tenants for what used to be their only source of income.
While the government has allowed some services like tutorial centers to operate again in areas under general community quarantine, parents and students are still hesitant to go out of their homes for fear of contracting the virus. And because most students who avail of tutorial services are minors, they are prohibited from stepping out of their houses.
But the digital shift, Reyes said, didn't help as they experienced a “significant” decline in clients, which she attributed to the “unfolding uncertainty” about remote learning. In a Zoom interview with Rappler, Randy Ladaga, director of Brain Train, said that the pandemic enabled them to strengthen their online presence through virtual classrooms.