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MANILA, Philippines — In light of the numerous occurrences of sexual assault and harassment reported in schools, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) stated on Tuesday that it is “about time” to develop a database for instructors who are allegedly involved in such incidents.
The NBI called for such a repository during the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality’s public hearing on the alleged culture of abuse, harassment, and violence at the Philippine High School of the Arts (PHSA).
“It’s about time na siguro ang DepEd (Department of Education) mag-create ng database sa mga ganyang klaseng ano ng teachers, so lahat ng schools ay bigyan ng access sa database na ‘yun para in case mayroong ganong applicant sa school nila ay ma-check nila kung may previous ganoong allegations itong teacher na nagapply sa kanila,” said NBI Special Action Unit head Jerome Bomediano.
(It’s about time that the DepEd creates a database for such teachers, where all schools will be given access to that database so that in case there is such an applicant in their school, they can check if this teacher who applied to them has any previous allegations.)
Senate Risa Hontiveros expressed concern that teachers who resigned due to sexual abuse cases are not barred from applying for positions at other schools.
“Sa ngayon po wala po tayong polisiya na pinagbabawal ang isang tao na nagbitiw dahil sa mga ganitong kaso para makapag-apply muli sa ibang educational institutions,” said Hontiveros.
(Currently, we do not have a policy prohibiting a person who has resigned due to such cases from reapplying to another educational institution.)
She then commended Bomediano’s suggestion to implement a teacher database so that schools can provide an extra layer of protection for children and youth.
“Magandang dagdag na mungkahi o payo ‘yan na ‘yung isang database na pwedeng simulan ng DepEd ay magkaroon ng access ang lahat ng eskwelahan dito,” said Hontiveros.
(It is a good idea for DepEd to make a database that all schools can use.)
“Naaalala ko ang sex offenders registry na ginagamit ng mga immigration and international police agencies para mapigilan makapasok,” she added.
(I remember the sex offender registry used by immigration and international police agencies to prevent entry.)
According to Bomediano, schools currently only require teachers to submit an NBI clearance during their application. However, he said this should also reflect recorded sexual abuse and harassment cases.
Hontiveros noted that this only applies in incidents where such complaints have matured into formal cases.
“Mag-aappear lang ang derogatory information kung ‘yung reklamo o ‘yung sinumbong ay dinulog at actually nagmature into a case, but what if hindi?” said Hontiveros.
(The derogatory information will only appear if the complaint or the reported person matured into a case, but what if not?)
Hontiveros said this after some PHSA resource speakers claimed that some victims were discouraged from filing formal cases to school and government authorities due to many factors, including the sensitive nature of the situation, its complexity, and even pressure from the school administration.