DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Five of the seven teachers accused of “grooming” or sexually harassing students at Bacoor National High School (BNHS) in Cavite were slapped with administrative cases for grave misconduct and violation of the child protection policy, according to the Department of Education (DepEd).
They were also suspended for 90 days while facing the complaints, with dismissal from the service as the heaviest possible penalty, the agency said.
The action taken against them was in line with DepEd’s “zero-tolerance policy” for sexual abuse cases, especially involving minors, DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa told reporters on Thursday.
“We don’t want these sexual predators in our schools,” he said.
The five BNHS teachers, whose names were withheld to protect the identities of their students and alleged victims, were cited for alleged grave misconduct, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and violation of DepEd Order No. 40, s. 2012, or the Child Protection Policy.
No effect on civil liability
If found guilty, they face the maximum penalty of dismissal from the service, based on the policy set under DepEd Order No. 40. This or any other sanction will have no bearing on the civil or criminal cases that may be filed separately against them.
Two of the seven teachers identified in posts and screenshots by Twitter or Facebook users claiming to be students or alumni of BNHS were not charged, Poa said.
“Out of the seven teachers identified in the post, a formal charge was issued to only five of them because when we talked to the schools division office and the legal department, the evidence for the other teachers was insufficient,” he said.
Following the administrative process in the civil service, Poa said the accused teachers could choose one of two ways to defend themselves: via position paper or through a trial.
DepEd’s action on the case was announced barely two weeks after a social media post that called out teachers at BNHS for alleged sexual exploitation and other inappropriate behavior toward students went viral last month, garnering tens of thousands of interactions.
The post inspired many other students and alumni to share their own experiences at the Cavite school. Other posts exposed screenshots of alleged attempts by some of the teachers to groom their underage students for sexual favors.
Hotlines to report abuse
To encourage other students to come forward with their own experience of sexual harassment or violence in schools, DepEd launched direct lines that the learners may call even after work hours.
“We understand that reporting experiences of sexual abuse and violence are often hampered by fear and feeling of embarrassment, but we urge kindergarten to Grade 12 victim-survivors to report these incidents directly to the Office of the Secretary,” Poa said.
“Help us help you bring these perpetrators to justice and end sexual abuse and violence in our schools,” he added.
Students may forward their complaints via deped abusereport@gmail.com or call 8633-1942, 8635-9817, or 0995-9218461.
No knee-jerk reaction
The agency assured students that details of their reports and their personal information would be treated confidentially.
The youth group Enough is Enough (EIE) composed of victims of sexual abuse in schools and advocates of gender equality welcomed DepEd’s pronouncements.
“We hope that this [is] a permanent fixture and not a knee-jerk reaction that will not be sustained when the controversies die down,” EIE said in a statement on Thursday.
The group launched its own campaign on Wednesday in response to sexual abuse allegations against teachers at BNHS and those at the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) in Laguna, among other schools.
“Despite the public outrage of students from prominent schools and universities in the past, the procedures and protocols in place have failed to stamp out predators from our schools,” Sophia Beatriz Reyes, lead convener of EIE and president of the PHSA student government, told a press conference.
“We remain unprotected and disempowered,” she added.
Patricia Racca of Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK) lamented that students had no recourse but to take to social media to expose abuse because the “framework of the school administrations and the policies that they work with only protect the predators.”
Aaron Pedrosa, the legal counsel of SPARK, said his group hoped that DepEd would start a “high-level mechanism” of investigation.
Abusers transferred
At a Senate hearing on the alleged abuse cases at PHSA on Wednesday, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said sexual predators must “never be allowed to be around children.”
She expressed alarm over reports that teachers who were dismissed or asked to resign because of abuse and harassment were later allowed to transfer schools.
“We don’t solve a problem if we let abusers move from one school to another,” Hontiveros said, adding: “Our children have been calling on all of us to do better. Let’s listen to them this time.”