By Merlina Hernando-Malipot The Department of Education (DepEd) on Tuesday called out a teachers’ federation for “maliciously using and interpreting” the agency’s preventive measures against the 2019 novel coronavirus (nCoV) to “advance their political agenda against the administration’s anti-drugs campaign.” DepEd Undersecretary for Administration Alain Del Pascua DepEd Undersecretary for Administration Alain Pascua, in a statement, addressed the claim of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines that the agency has “violated” its own memorandum on nCoV for allowing students of the Ramon Magsaysay High School in Quezon City to attend an activity initiated by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and DepEd. Pascua reiterated that all DepEd officials are following the First Policy Directives of the Task Force nCoV as stated in DepEd Memo No. 15, s. 2020. He added that “there was no violation made” in the event held at Ramon Magsaysay HS on Feb. 10 despite ACT’s claims. “DepEd allows activities within the school as long as personnel and learners exhibiting respiratory infections are prohibited to attend,” Pascua said, citing enclosure 2, section 2D of the memo. “We firmly adhere to our primary mandate of protecting our teachers and personnel and our 27.2 million learners.” Pascua urged ACT to “drop our political leanings” and help the government fight for the “protection of our children” against the coronavirus threat. “We encourage ACT to help us on this mission, so that more Filipinos will be informed on the proper ways of dealing with nCoV,” Pascua said. He added that with the help of the Department of Health (DOH), DepEd has issued “preemptive safety precautions and protocols and prepared information collaterals to keep our schools, personnel, and learners nCoV-free.” “We are inviting ACT to do its part,” he added. Pascua noted that at this time, “we need to be united and to cooperate with our health experts to make our learners and teachers safe and informed, and not sow divisions and haphazard intrigues, which could create unnecessary panic for the larger public.” “Let us drop our political leanings, even just for this urgent public health situation, and fight together for the protection of our children,” Pascua said. “The real enemy is the nCoV virus and bickering at this point makes all of us losers in this fight.”