SEXUAL ABUSE | Five teachers in Cavite under preventive suspension, says DepEd

September 8, 2022 , 12:31 PM

Content warning: Sexual abuse

By Beatrice Puente

(September 8, 2022) – Five of the seven teachers accused of sexually abusing students in a school in Cavite are facing a 90-day preventive suspension after formal administrative charges were issued against them, the spokesperson of the Department of Education (DepEd) said on Thursday.

Michael Poa said the authorities are still looking for additional evidence to press similar charges against the two other teachers accused of making sexual advances on some students of Bacoor National High School (BNHS).

“Nanghihikayat tayo sa victims ng alleged sexual harassment na lumabas para makapagbigay ng kanilang affidavit, statement, or ebidensya,” said Poa in a news conference.

He added that the teachers were given five days to explain their side during the preliminary investigation led by the Schools Division Office in Bacoor. He said in an earlier statement that the “teachers were not given any teaching load pending initial investigation on the matter.”

The case stemmed from a viral social media post that revealed the sexually abusive practice of some teachers, who sent lewd messages to some students, in BNHS. Other victims later came forward to share similar experiences they endured in the past, including as early as 2014.

In a report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, BNHS principal Teodoro Gloriani said the teachers in question allegedly denied the allegations hurled against them but they promised to cooperate with the ongoing probe.

“Binibigyan natin ng pagkakataon ‘yung mga nasasakdal to choose a proceeding—by position paper only or by trial. Since kaka-issue lang natin ng formal charge, (aalamin natin) kung anong pipiliin ng mga nasasakdal,” said Poa.

To help the victims, Poa said the DepEd, which is headed by Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, created an e-mail address and phone lines for reporting cases of sexual abuse. He assured that the information shared will be confidential.

“We are taking this very seriously. Talagang meron tayong zero-tolerance policy pagdating sa abuse, lalo na pagdating sa sexual abuse. We don’t want these sexual predators in our schools,” said Poa.

Aside from BNHS, the Philippine High School for the Arts in Laguna also faced criticisms over cases of sexual abuse revealed by several students and alumni. Lawmakers sought an inquiry into the issue which gained public attention. Duterte-Carpio also tapped the National Bureau of Investigation to probe the case.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros earlier slammed the practice of some teachers who merely transfer from one school to another despite the sexual abuse controversies they previously got embroiled in. She stressed that sexual offenders should be held accountable to ensure the safety of children.

“Wala tayong nalutas na problema kung hinahayaan lang nating palipat-lipat ang mga abuser. Sexual predators should never be allowed to be around children,” said Hontiveros.

(PM)

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