5 Cavite high school teachers charged

Over alleged sexual harassment of students

MANILA, Philippines — Five teachers of a public high school in Cavite have been administratively charged and suspended for 90 days by the Department of Education (DepEd) in connection with allegations of sexual harassment of their students.

Michael Poa, DepEd spokesperson, said the five teachers of the Bacoor National High School were charged with grave misconduct, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service and violation of DepEd Order No. 40 or the DepEd Child Protection Policy.

Seven teachers were originally accused of sexual harassment, but Poa said the evidence against two of the accused was insufficient.

Social media posts on the alleged inappropriate behavior of the teachers and sexual harasment of the students went viral last month.

“We are calling on the victims of alleged sexual harassment to surface so they can give their affidavit, statement or evidence and we can file formal charges,” Poa said.

Direct line

He said students can file complaints of abuse or harassment against their teachers through [email protected].

Poa said the email address is a ”direct line” to the office of the DepEd secretary.

He said complaints can also be filed through telephone numbers 8633-1942, 8635-9817 and 09959218461 even after working hours.

“DepEd is taking all reports about sexual abuse and violence against our learners in schools seriously. We are determined to ensure that schools all over the country are safe spaces for our learners and free from sexual predators,” Poa said.

He gave assurance that the personal information and nature of complaints would be treated with utmost confidentiality.