‘PALIPAT-LIPAT LANG’ | Sexual offenders must be banned from teaching in schools, says Hontiveros

September 7, 2022 , 12:19 PM

Content warning: Sexual harassment and abuse

By Beatrice Puente

(September 7, 2022) – Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday said sexual offenders should never be permitted anymore to teach in any school to protect children from being harassed and abused, stressing the need to listen to the youth who want better systems in place.

Hontiveros expressed alarm over the practice of some teachers with sexual abuse cases who just transfer from one school to another to continue their career, subjecting more children to possible harassment.

“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 in a statement.

She cited the case of a sexual abuser who transferred from St. Theresa’s College in Quezon City to the Angeles University Foundation in Pampanga. She noted that victims have spoken up about grooming and sexual advances from the same teacher who yet again transferred to another school just last year.

In a report in 2016, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said 17.1% of youth aged 13 to 18 in the Philippines faced sexual violence. The UNICEF added that 5.3% of the victims experienced violence within their schools.

Data from the National Baseline Study on Violence Against Children (NBS-VAC) in 2016 also showed that more males aged 13 to 24 faced sexual violence than females. Many of these incidents reportedly happened in schools, with most of the victims ranging from 16 to 18 years old, according to NBS-VAC.

“Ilan pa ang mga guro na may mga kaso na pala ng pang-aabuso at karahasan pero imbes na tunay na managot ay nag-iiba lang ng eskuwelahan? Ilang mga estudyante na ang nabiktima dahil dito,” said Hontiveros. “Predators should get more than a slap on the wrist.”

In June, VICE World News published a story on the alleged sexual abuses that happened in the Philippine High School for the Arts in Laguna. Several students in Bacoor National High School in Cavite have also spoken out about the harassment committed against them, which the Department of Education called “very disturbing.”

Hontiveros, as head of the panel on women and children, filed a resolution that seeks to investigate the sexual abuses done by abusive teachers. She also pointed out that schools must be held accountable to ensure that systemic changes would be duly implemented.

“Tila nagiging last resort ng mga estudyante ang pagre-report sa social media ng kanilang karanasan dahil baka hindi sila pinapakinggan o sineseryoso sa kanilang mga paaralan,” said Hontiveros in filing the resolution.

The minority senator added that the Philippines can learn from the mechanisms of foreign groups to track the background of erring individuals “to protect children from sexual or physical harm.”

“Our children have been calling on all of us to do better … Let’s listen to them this time,” said Hontiveros.

(PM)

Privacy Statement

Our Privacy Commitment

TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.

We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.

Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?

We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:

To deliver news and updates on current events, sports, esports and entertainment;
To share livestreams of news and sports events;
To understand our viewers’ needs and preferences;
To meet legal and regulatory requirements; and
To perform other processes or disclosures that are required to comply with pertinent laws, rules, or regulations.

Where do we get your personal information?

There are several ways we collect your personal information.

Information that you personally provided.

Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
- Register to our programs or services;
- Inquired, filed a complaint or requested for our services;
- Took part in our research and surveys; and/or
- Became our Partner, Vendor, Contractor or Supplier.

Information we collect during your engagement with us

We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
- Viewing our websites;
- Activities that are being tracked by our website cookies;
- Calling our hotline;
- Using our apps, websites, and self-service channels and portals; and/or
- Joining our promos, prize raffles, or rewards and loyalty programs.

Information we collect from other sources

Other means of collection of information may be through:
- Our market research initiatives;
- When you visit and use our websites and mobile application; and
- Subsidiaries, affiliates, and third-party business partners to whom you have given consent to share your information to us.

When do we disclose personal information?

There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.

We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.

In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.

How we protect your personal information

The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.

We also put in effect the following safeguards:

We keep and protect your information using a secured server behind a firewall, encryption and security controls;
We keep your information only for as long as it is necessary for us to (a) provide the products and services that you avail from us, (b) for our legitimate business purposes, (c) to comply with pertinent laws, and (d) for special cases that will require the exercise or defense of legal claims;
We limit the access to your information only to qualified and authorized personnel who are trained to handle your information with strict confidentiality;
We undergo regular audits and rigorous testing of our infrastructure’s security protocols to ensure your data is always protected;
We promptly notify you and the National Privacy Commission when sensitive personal information that may, under the circumstances, be used to enable identity fraud are reasonably believed to have been acquired by an unauthorized person; and
We let you update your information securely to keep our records accurate.

TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.

What are your choices?

We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.

If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.

Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph

What happens when there are changes in our Policy?

From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.

You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.