DEPARTMENT of Education (DepEd) Secretary and Vice President Sara Duterte said on Thursday, March 21, 2024, that no penalty will be given to the teacher who berated and scolded her students while she was live on TikTok.
In an interview with reporters in Cambodia, where she performs her duty as the president of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), Duterte said she was able to read the teacher’s explanation and ordered the concerned DepEd regional director not to penalize her but to simply advise her to pause if she is angry.
She said the teacher in her explanation letter said that she was not aware that she was live on TikTok.
"Ang una ko naging reaction is tao lang iyong teacher. Lahat tayo umaabot sa punto na nagagalit tayo, lalo 'pag nafu-frustrate tayo. This is especially true sa mga teachers dahil ang teachers natin hindi lang isa na tao ang kausap nila. Ang isang klase ay merong from 25 to 45, sometimes 55 students," said Duterte.
(My first reaction was that the teacher is only human. We all reach a point where we get angry, especially when we are frustrated. This is especially true for teachers because they are not just talking to one person. A class has 25 to 45, sometimes 55 students.)
"Nakita ko iyong explanation niya, and then sinabihan ko ang regional office natin na there will be no penalties for the teacher. Just to remind the teacher that if she is angry, she has to pause. Itigil muna iyong klase. And when she's not angry anymore, saka siya magklase ulit. There's a need to pause pag galit iyong teacher. Iyon lang ang sinabi ko na i-remind sa teacher," she added.
(I saw her explanation, and then I told our regional office that there will be no penalties for the teacher. Just remind the teacher that if she is angry, she has to pause. Stop the class first. And when she's not angry anymore, then she can go to class again. There's a need to pause when a teacher is angry. That's all I said -- to remind the teacher.)
The teacher, who came from a public school in Metro Manila, was earlier issued with a show cause order to explain her actions.
In the video, the teacher can be seen saying: “Hindi ako nag-board exam para lang hindi irespeto ng mga katulad niyong wala pa namang nararating sa buhay. Hindi na nga kayo matalino, sama pa ng ugali ninyo.”
(I didn't take the board exam just to be disrespected by people like you who haven't achieved anything in life yet. You're not smart anymore, and yet you have a bad attitude.)
Under the DepEd’s child protection policy issued in 2012, “any act by deeds or words that debases, degrades, or demeans the intrinsic worth and dignity of a child as a human being” is considered child abuse. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)