DepEd: No set colors for alternative uniforms

NO COLOR RESTRICTIONS Public school teachers and nonteaching personnel may use any of the current collared shirts issued by the Department of Education for previous activities, not just the red, green and white ones shown in its April 11 memorandum on alternative uniforms. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) said on Tuesday that there were no required colors for the collared shirts teachers and nonteaching personnel could use as alternative uniforms to beat the heat.

Education Undersecretary and DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa clarified that the agency’s April 11 memorandum giving them the option to wear “comfortable clothing” did not necessarily mean that only collared shirts in white, red and green could be used.

“We don’t have prescribed colors for the DepEd collared shirt,” Poa told reporters in a message thread. “Any existing DepEd collared [shirts] may be worn.”

READ: DepEd allows alternative uniforms for ‘hot’ teachers

Only an option

He said these may include shirts used in the agency’s previous events, such as the Palarong Pambansa, Brigada Eskwela, Oplan Balik Eskwela and other activities.

Poa also clarified that the alternative uniform was only an option for teachers so they could be comfortable in their classrooms despite the heat.

“Again, this is an additional option only. Teaching and nonteaching staff may wear any DepEd collared shirt of any color that they already have,” he said.

The DepEd’s announcement on Monday of the alternative uniform came with a photograph showing the collared shirts teachers and nonteaching personnel could use.

Two of the four collared shirts were white, one with the DepEd logo and the other with the “Matatag” logo, referring to the recalibrated K-10 curriculum.

The other two were a red Palarong Pambansa shirt and a green Oplan Balik Eskwela shirt.

The shirts, according to the memorandum, must be paired with matte black pants of any fabric or textile, such as jeans, slacks and cargo pants, with the alternative uniform compliant with the dress code rules set by the Civil Service Commission. This meant that leggings, jogging pants and tights were prohibited.

“The wearing of the said alternate uniform shall be allowed until such time that a memorandum is issued superseding this issuance,” said the memo.

‘Campaign managers’

Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) chair Vladimer Quetua, however, noted that the fabric of the Matatag shirt was quite thick and uncomfortable, while the red and green shirts made them look like “campaign managers for the Marcos-Duterte team.”

Red and green were the campaign colors of then Senator, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, respectively, when they ran for president and vice president in May 2022.

Quetua urged the DepEd to allow them to dress in their preferred comfortable alternative uniforms.

Political undertones

House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro expressed a similar sentiment on Tuesday as she asked why the DepEd chose red, white and green as the prescribed colors for alternative uniforms for teachers and nonteaching staff.

“There seems to be a political meaning there,” Castro said, adding that teachers and nonteaching personnel should have the freedom to pick colors they feel at ease amid rising temperatures nationwide without any restrictions that might be linked to past political campaigns.

“Let’s just let them make their own choices so that they would be more comfortable during this dry season,” she said. “Let’s not use colors that have political meaning, as the DepEd might be accused of early campaigning for the [upcoming 2025 elections].”