Miriam College students bare harassment complaints

MANILA, Philippines  —The Women and Gender Institute (Wagi) of Miriam College vowed to hold school officials accountable after high school students and alumni bared their experiences of sexual harassment and violence from teachers.

Wagi said in a statement that it would see to it that Miriam College High School (MCSHS) would “process the administrative case hearings of the issues our students have raised, and may continue to raise,” including sexual harassment, homophobia, transphobia, pedophilia, abuse of power, neglect, and disregard for their safety and well-being.

Safe Spaces Act

“We will vigilantly monitor and ensure that the proceedings are just and transparent, hold every perpetrator of discrimination and abuse accountable and liable for their acts in accordance with the Safe Spaces Act,” it said in a statement on Friday.

Wagi said it would spearhead a series of safe space group discussions for high school students to express their grievances and demand for justice and accountability.

The advocacy center also acknowledged the pain and anger felt by students who bravely posted their stories on Twitter and trended the hashtag #MCHSDOBETTER on the social media platform.

Among the harrowing experiences shared by students and alumni are cases of emotional manipulation through conversations with teachers, who were sending inappropriate messages and pursuing relationships with their schoolmates.

One student recalled a professor who asked their class to sign a vow of chastity form before graduation.

Expelling those harassed

Others slammed the school administration for expelling students who were subjected to online harassment, such as the leaking of sex videos without their consent, without going after the perpetrators.

Since 1926, Miriam College has remained a private, all-girls academic institution in Quezon City.

Wagi said that essential to maintaining a “truly gender-responsive and student-centered” institution was fostering an environment free from harassment and judgment.

MCHS student Lian Leonen de Vela, who created the hashtag #MCDOBETTER on Twitter, said she knows a lot of friends who have personal experiences of their own harassment.

‘A systematic problem’

She said it would be hard to quantify how many students and alumni have experienced different kinds of harassment from their teachers.

“But with all the harassment and microagressions that students face, this is a systematic problem not only in MC but in the entire country,” she said.

In response to the viral hashtag, university president Laura Del Rosario pledged to “do better” and take steps to resolve the issue as “a caring institution.”

In a separate statement on Friday, the school administration said it formed an independent institutional committee to look into reported incidents of sexual harassment committed by teachers on their students.

Starting on June 29, Miriam College also said it would start accepting written reports of these incidents through [email protected].