Due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic face-to- face classes were prohibited. However, the Department of Education (DepEd) believes that education shall continue so they implemented alternative learning delivery modalities such as Modular Distance Learning. This new normal has brought a lot of challenges to students, especially those from remotes areas, which has affected their academic performance. In order to understand the experiences of students in remote areas in the new normal, this study was conducted to describe their lived experiences, the issues and challenges they encountered in modular distance learning and their coping mechanism. The participants of this study were the 9 Grade 8 Students of Gregorio C. Catenza National High School who were from Barangay Burabod, Jaro, Leyte. This study used descriptive phenomenological approach as its research design. The participants underwent in-depth one-on-one interview about their experiences in the new normal. The thematic analysis was used to determine significant themes from the participants’ responses. Five distinct themes emerged from the research data. The major themes identified from the results of this study included: learning is difficult; poor learning outcome; Socio-Economic Status and Unavailability of Learning Resources; More Knowledgeable Other; and Social Network and Time-Management. This result indicates that students in the remote areas encountered difficulties in the new normal.