A group said that a male teacher who went viral for uploading a video on TikTok has already issued an apology for his action which was deemed “inappropriate" by the Department of Education (DepEd) and netizens alike.
“Naglabas na ng apology yung ating teacher po dito at sinabi niyang yon ay katuwaan lang (The teacher also issued an apology and said that it was just for fun),” Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) National Chairperson Benjo Basas said in a TeleRadyo interview on Monday, Nov. 8.
A teacher in Pampanga uploaded a video on TikTok on what he would supposedly do if a “cute” student passes by.
However, this did not sit well with DepEd and called it a “potential child abuse action.”
Education Secretary Leonor Briones even instructed the Regional Director of DepEd Central Luzon to “immediately investigate” the said incident.
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The move of DepEd was welcomed by the TDC. Basas noted that the action of the said teacher should not be tolerated especially since it indirectly involved a student.
“Again hindi naman natin pupuwedeng sabihin na yung lahat ng mga bagay basta katuwaan lang ay palalampasin po natin (Again, we can't say that let go of things like this because it was just for fun),” Basas said.
For TDC, it was a necessary move for DepEd to call out the teacher for his action. Basas also pointed out the importance of investigating the matter to find out more about the incident.
“In child abuse, there is no need for intention as long as there is perceived and potential abuse seen by the authority or the offended party, if ever, child abuse would exist,” Basas said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Basas said that TDC is also thankful to the school for not tolerating the teacher and for immediate response to the concerns raised by stakeholders.
“Nagkaroon ng investigation, na yung discipline committee ng eskwelahan ay tinipon at yun nga, nagkaroon ng tinatawag po natin po ano na recommendation para sa pwedeng gawin ng ating teacher (There was an investigation, the discipline committee of the school was gathered and they came up with a recommendation on what the teacher can do),” Basas said.
Given this, Basas noted that the teacher’s name and identity should not be publicized any further.
“Again hindi po namin sinasabi na walang kasalanan yung teacher. Ang sabi nga namin baka merong kasalanan eh. Pero to establish yung kasalanan po na ito, kailangan pong imbestigahan (Again, we are not saying that the teacher is innocent because there might be an offense but to establish this, an investigation was need),” he said.
Since the video was posted by the teacher on social media, netizens have been reposting the clip.
For Basas, the teacher also needs protection especially his face and his name have been all over the place. “Sinasabi po namin wala pong problema kung yung teacher ay imbestigahan pero wag naman po sanang pagpiyestahan (There is no problem if we investigate the teacher, just don’t gang up on him),” he added.
In a separate Facebook post on Nov. 5, Basas reiterated the need for protect the children against possible child abuse actions.
He also noted that teachers should also be repeatedly reminded on how to behave and act accordingly especially on social media.
Tama lang protektahan ang mga bata. Tama lang na paalalahanan ang guro, pero pakinggan din natin ang side niya.
“It is only right to protect children. It is only right to remind the teacher, but let's also listen to his side),” Basas said.
“Unfair na mahusgahan agad at mawasak ang pagkatao ng sinuman dahil lang sa simpleng Tiktok video (It’s unfair to immediately criticize and destroy anyone’s personality just because of a simple Tiktok video),” he added.