MALACAÑANG on Monday, January 7, said members of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) were merely getting "paranoid" over the supposed monitoring and profiling by the Philippine National Police (PNP).
"Maybe they're just paranoid. You know, you must remember that ACT is identified as a Leftist organization. Maybe most of the members are not, but the leaders are," Presidential Spokesperson Salvador said in a television interview.
Allegations surfaced that police intelligence agents have been visiting schools in Metro Manila, Cebu and other provinces since the start of the year to gather information about teachers who are members of ACT.
ACT condemned the PNP's alleged attempt to profile its members by presenting a supposed police memorandum asking school officials to provide a roster of ACT members in their respective educational institutions.
ACT, which is represented in Congress by ACT Teachers Party-list, likened the PNP's memorandum to the "tokhang" list which the police officers "forced village officials to fill out" with names of alleged drug suspects.
Panelo noted that the PNP has denied the alleged profiling of ACT members.
He added that the policy was "not to surveil teachers" but to check on possible "illegal or irregular" acts they are perpetrating.
"Definitely, 'yung policy is not to surveil teachers. Mahal ni Presidente ang teachers. Iyan ang policy. Pero kung you are doing something illegal or irregular, natural lang trabaho ng pulis 'yun ay i-monitor ka kung anong ginagawa mo," Panelo told Palace reporters.
(Definitely, the policy is not to surveil teachers. The President loves the teachers. That's the policy. But if you are doing something illegal or irregular, it's natural for the police to monitor what you're doing.)
The Palace official stressed that members of the teacher's group should not be worried, if they are not violating the law.
"Siguro ang nakikita ko diyan, baka 'yung pino-profile o mino-monitor, 'yung mga nakikita ng PNP na maling ginagawa nila. Kasi tandaan ninyo, 'yung ACT is a legal organization na identified sa Kaliwa," Panelo said.
(Perhaps, the ones being profiled or monitored by the PNP are their wrongdoings. Because remember, ACT is a legal organization identified as a Left-leaning party.)
"Trabaho kasi ng PNP na mag-monitor. If you're not doing anything, why should you be afraid? Tapos narinig ko 'yung isang nag-sasalita sa kanila, takot daw sila. And then sinasabi niya, 'Hindi kami matatakot, matatapang kami." Eh anong problema? If you're not doing anything, wala namang mangyayari eh," he added.
(It's the PNP's job to monitor. If you're not doing anything, why should you be afraid? Then I heard one them saying he's afraid. But then he said, 'We're not afraid. We're brave.' So what's the problem? you're not doing anything, nothing will happen. (Ruth Abbey Gita/SunStar Philippines)