By THE ALLIANCE OF CONCERNED TEACHERS
www.nordis.net

The Duterte regime, through its security forces, is treading a dangerous path with its relentless attacks on students, teachers, and schools. With its haphazard red-tagging of school, censure of academic freedom, carrying out smear campaigns, surveillance and harassment of students and teachers, the Duterte regime is condemning not just its perceived enemies in schools, but puts the whole institution of education in bad light. Such incessant attacks pose harm to the nation as it is tantamount to inciting the public to doubt the role and value of education.

After AFP Deputy Chief of Staff Brigadier Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. implicated 18 universities to their imagined Red October plot, and police Chief Oscar Albayalde threatened teachers with administrative charges ‘for encouraging students to go against the government,’ the education sector felt on the grounds the heightened temerity of state forces to meddle with school affairs:

1. Five policemen came to Nagpayong Highschool in Pasig City in the afternoon of October 1 looking for and asking about the whereabouts of teacher union leaders who staged a sunrise protest earlier that day in front of the Department of Education central office to demand for salary increase;
2. During the local celebration of World Teachers’ Day in different divisions of the National Capital Region, leaders of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) felt an unusual suppression of their freedom of expression. On October 4, security forces of the Philippines Sports Commission in Rizal Memorial Stadium ordered for the take down of banners bearing teachers’ call for salary increase, citing that such are ‘anti-government’.

   They even asked for police reinforcement to guard the event, saying that they received intelligence reports that activists are set to disrupt the celebration. Security and police officers also attempted to block leaders of the Manila Public School Teachers Association from distributing leaflets and posters containing the same demand. On October 5, in Quezon City’s WTD celebration at Araneta Coliseum, banners were banned as well. The local government attempted the same in Malabon City’s activity;

3. In Tarlac City, teachers’ WTD activities on October 5 and in the following days, streamers bearing the statement “ACT- Teachers by day, communists by night” sprouted in public places signed by a questionable group called ‘Peace-Tarlac’, which were clearly meant to vilify ACT and our members;
4. ACT Davao Union who is calling for the grant of local allowances were arbitrarily branded by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte as ‘terrorist.’ Next day, tarpaulins were displayed all over the city, charging, among others, ACT Teachers Partylist of being ‘terrorist protectors’;
5. Text messages were circulated among folks in Cebu City with the following message: “Let’s campaign NOT TO VOTE FOR COMMUNIST TERRORIST PARTYLIST….”, with ACT Teachers Partylist and its nominees leading the list;
6. In Mindoro, the Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) dubiously demanded that school heads identify and provide a list of teachers who are ACT members; and
7. On October 8, the station commander of PNP Quezon City Station 9 reportedly went to the Ateneo de Manila University campus in Katipunan Avenue to ‘look for students who are planning to stage a protest. The police even inquired about the identity of AdMU teachers whom they say are in their list of ‘subversive teachers.’

ACT Philippines condemn in the strongest terms the red-tagging, surveillance, harassment and vilification campaign being carried out by the Duterte regime against our organization and the whole education sector. Our regional unions are legitimate organizations, a number of which have the status of being the sole and exclusive negotiating agency (SENA) as per the rules of the Department of Labor and Employment and the Civil Service Commission. Our demands for salary increase and humane working conditions are just and legitimate. We are mentors who embraced the ‘noblest profession’ to serve in liberating Filipinos from ignorance so that our people may effectively pursue our collective aspirations for genuine freedom, peace, democracy, and development.

Education, without question and as inscribed in the Philippine Constitution, is key to nation-building. It is necessarily grounded on the principle of academic freedom to enable it to be instrumental in the development of the citizens’ full potentials so that they may be a force for social transformation.

We cannot allow the repressive state forces to clamp (down) on our freedoms, stunt the minds of our people and make them lose their confidence on education. We will continue to fight back.# nordis.net