DepEd probing complaint vs Pasig school principal

An official of the Department of Education (DepEd) has confirmed that a three-man committee has begun investigating the complaint filed by teachers against the principal of the Rizal High School (RHS) in Pasig City over the collection of supposedly unauthorized school fees.

Marivic Leaño, DepEd Pasig assistant schools division superintendent officer in charge, said in an interview the other day that the grievance committee hearing the complaint against Virginia Membrebe was set to release its findings within the month.

Earlier, members of the Rizal High School Teachers Association (RHSTA) called for Membrebe’s ouster for allegedly violating Republic Act No. 4670 or the Magna Carta for Teachers.

In particular, the group accused her of putting them in a “sticky situation” when she made them “collecting agents” of the P150 fee for students reviewing for the National Achievement Test (NAT). According to RHSTA president Glenn Guardiano, this was in direct violation of the Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers.

Asked what the fee was for, Guardiano told the Inquirer that they did not have any idea. He said that it took them two years to speak up against Membrebe—the school principal for almost four years now—because they were “obedient and had hoped that one day, the situation would change.”

However, in October, the school’s nearly 9,000 students were asked to pay P200 for a stage play, Guardiano said. Due to their opposition, the play did not push through and the collected fees were returned, he added.

Because of these incidents, he and 198 other teachers filed the following month a grievance complaint against Membrebe in the DepEd Pasig Division. Although the RHS has around 330 teachers, Guardiano said that some did not sign the complaint because those who were up for promotion feared a backlash while others cited their “debt of gratitude” to the school principal.

In an interview with the Inquirer Thursday, Membrebe denied any wrongdoing and said that all her actions had the approval and endorsement not only of the Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) but also that of the DepEd Pasig division office.

She added that the play in question, “Pilipinas 1941,” and the conduct of the NAT review were approved by the division office and the PTA. She added that the tickets for the play were bought on a voluntary basis while the fees collected were returned immediately after the play was canceled.

Regarding the NAT review, Membrebe explained that the payment collected covered the cost of the materials and the conduct of the mock test. She belied the complainants’ claim that those who failed to pay the fee were discriminated against as they were not given test papers during the mock test.

According to the principal, the students benefited from the mock exam as the RHS was the only one among the city’s 12 high schools which posted a higher score compared to the previous year.

She told the Inquirer that all of the allegations against her had already been discussed with the school division and “underwent due process.”

“It’s them [complainants] who don’t want to accept the decision. I didn’t commit any violation,” Membrebe said.

According to her, she is “a person with dignity” who wouldn’t risk her 18 years of being a school principal and close to 40 years of being a teacher just to get involved in the supposed anomalies.

“I am confident that I will be absolved because there’s no ground for me to be removed from office,” she said.