BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Mayor Benjamin Magalong is deferring to the Department of Education (DepEd) on whether to impose a total ban on mobile phones in schools, citing the need for studies and expert guidance before adopting such a policy.

Magalong made the statement on June 29, 2026, when asked to comment on Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo’s move to prohibit students from bringing mobile phones to school.

He said policies involving children should be grounded in research and the expertise of DepEd, which he noted has a deeper understanding of children’s psychology, behavior, and emotional development.

“It depends on the view of the mayor, but in our case, we need to work with DepEd as the expert on such matters,” he said, while acknowledging that studies have shown a direct relationship between excessive cellphone use and physical aggression among children, as well as the risk of addiction.

Magalong also pointed out that mobile phones offer practical advantages for students, particularly in emergencies. He cited situations where a student could use a cellphone to report an incident or contact emergency services such as 911.

“It’s bidirectional. There is a downside, there is an upside. There are advantages, there are disadvantages. So we need to defer to experts to weigh all of these,” he said.

He added that DepEd already has an existing policy regulating mobile phone use in schools. Under current guidelines, students are prohibited from using cellphones during class without authorization, and violations may result in the temporary confiscation of the device.

Magalong emphasized that all these factors must be carefully considered before any decision is made on the matter. – Aileen P. Refuerzo