OFFICIALS from the Department of Education-Davao City (DepEd-Davao City) reiterated that conflicts involving teachers and parents should be resolved through the appropriate office of the department. This came after a teacher from Daniel R. Aguinaldo National High School received a summons from the barangay where the school is located.
Rey Solitario, Schools Division Superintendent of DepEd-Davao City, said that complaints filed against teachers should be submitted to the appropriate DepEd office in the school or to the Schools Division Office (SDO).
“The filing of complaints in barangay is not within the proper jurisdiction when the matter involves DepEd personnel in the performance of official duties. Such cases shall be handled in accordance with existing DepEd Orders and/or Civil Service rules,” Solitario wrote in the comment section of a Davao-based news outlet on December 13, 2025.
This was also reemphasized by DepEd–Davao Region spokesperson Jenielito “Dodong” Atillo as he called on barangay councils to ensure that matters involving teachers and parents are coursed through DepEd’s grievance processes.
“Nilapas na sa ensaktong proseso ang Barangay ani. Dapat gipasa sa Barangay kining reklamoha ngadto sa DepEd kay sa tinuod lang dili man gihapon sila makaresolba ani (The Barangay has already gone beyond the proper procedure in this matter. This complaint should have been forwarded by the Barangay to the Department of Education, because in truth, they are not really capable of resolving this issue anyway),” he said.
He added that it is vital for barangays to know their limitations and that if there are issues involving teachers or the department, concerns should be raised with DepEd and not the barangay.
The barangay issued a statement on the matter; however, it has since taken down its Facebook post as of writing.
Concern raised to the barangay
In a letter addressed to the teacher dated December 12, 2025, the Office of the Punong Barangay requested that the teacher appear before the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children (BCPC) on December 15, 2025. The teacher was asked to participate in a dialogue with the parent and the child.
“Failure to attend on this dialogue will subject us to forward this to higher government agencies,” the letter said.
The letter was signed by BCPC Action Officer Simeona C. Lionbago and Punong Barangay Joel A. Santes.
Student’s low grades reason for summon
The daughter of the teacher who was summoned to the barangay sought help from DepEd-Davao after her parent was allegedly humiliated and called to the barangay.
In her post, she narrated that the parent of a student approached her mother and questioned why her child received a grade of only 79. The teacher then showed her computation, which revealed that the student’s actual grade was 73, but was adjusted to give him a passing rate.
After learning of the grade, the parent allegedly shouted, “Walay mga klaro nga teacher diri sa DRANHS! (There are no competent teachers here at DRANHS!).”
Due to the humiliation, the teacher allegedly expressed her feelings to the class, which then led the parent to question the Child Protection Policy. This was allegedly the reason the teacher was summoned to the barangay.
Dabawenyos sentiments
Grace Rosal commented on a news outlet’s post related to the issue that her child, an honor student in a private school, received a grade of 76 after transferring to a public school this year, which shocked her. Instead of questioning the teacher, she questioned her child and challenged him to reflect and prove that he could do better.
“Dear parents, instead of getting furious why not teach our children to embrace challenges and teach them that not all the time is easy peasy and rainbow paths because the real challenges will be after they finish their studies,.. their best training starts at home, from their parents,” she said.
Meanwhile, Ian Intens highlighted that the situation is an important lesson for parents, emphasizing that expectations should be realistic and aligned with their children’s abilities.
“When expectations are set too high, some parents resort to inappropriate means to obtain results when their child fails to meet those expectations,” he said.
He also emphasized that barangay officials who issued the summons to the teacher should review and understand the scope of their jurisdiction. He added that the barangay should have educated the parents on the proper procedures and appropriate channels for raising concerns. RGP