THE RECENT move of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to profile public and private school teachers who are members of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), making the rounds in schools and offices of the Department of Education (DepEd) to press education officials for an inventory of all ACT members under their jurisdiction is disturbing to say the least.
These Gestapo-like operations appear to be of nationwide scale and have shades of intimidation. This is a grossly illegal and unconstitutional attack on the teachers’ collective right to free expression and right to self-organization. ACT is a legitimate teachers’ organization with a long history of service to professional teachers, education support personnel, and the Filipino people in general. As a matter of fact, government agencies such as the Civil Service Commission, Department of Education, and Department of Labor and Employment recognize ACT and its affiliate organizations in both public and private schools.
ACT works for the advancement of teachers’ welfare as well as the betterment of the country’s basic education system. The PNP’s concerted national scheme to single out ACT and extract a list of all its members from principals and other school officials is a clear violation of the constitutional right to self-organization, freedom of expression and assembly, and right to privacy. It also violates the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers, and all the related laws, orders, and issuances which protect teachers’ right to self-organization and trade union rights in both public and private schools.
DepEd must take a stand against this scheme and not allow itself to be used in the violation of teachers’ rights. DepEd must order the withholding of any information about ACT members which may be used by the PNP to intimidate and harass teacher-unionists who fight for decent salaries and benefits, for the people’s right to education and other basic services, and for the rights and well-being of the people.
On the other hand, the PNP should instead focus on apprehending big drug lords, plunderers, human rights violators, etc. It has no business meddling in the affairs of teachers’ organizations. Its duty is to serve and protect the people, not to harass and intimidate activists.
