Gabriela Women’s Partylist filed a resolution seeking House probe on alleged sexual, verbal, and emotional abuse in the government-run Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) in Los Baños, Laguna.
“The recent revelations about the PHSA prompt serious reflections on how the Safe Spaces Act and other relevant laws on the protection of women and children from gender-based harassment and abuse are being enforced especially in government-run schools,” the resolution read.
Gabriela Partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas, on Friday, July 15, likewise urged the House Committee on the Welfare of Children and Committee on Women and Gender Equality to “immediately tackle” the resolution.
Meanwhile, the Department of Education (DepEd), in an official statement released on Tuesday, July 12, disclosed that they have already tapped the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to look into the reports of harassment and abuse at PHSA, reiterating that they do not tolerate abuses in any form.
Apart from this, the department likewise began its own investigation, revealing that they asked their Child Protection Unit (CPU) and Child Rights in Education Desk (CREDe) to conduct a thorough investigation in line with the department’s Child Protection Policy.