Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro clarified that she was not blaming teachers after the tragic shooting incident in a school in Zamboanga City, saying she was only reminding them of their crucial role in shaping students' behavior.

"Gusto lang po natin ipaliwanag at mukhang nagkakaroon po ng misconception, misinterpretation, misunderstanding sa ating nabanggit kahapon (We just want to clarify because it seems that there are some misconceptions, misinterpretations, or misunderstandings regarding what we mentioned yesterday)," Castro said in a Palace briefing on Wednesday, Aug. 19.

"Unang-una ay wala po tayong sinisisi na mga guro. Ito ay pagpapaalala sa ating mga kagalang-galang na mga guro kung ano po ang kanilang malaking role bilang tagahubog ng magandang kaugalian lalung lalo na sa mga kabataan (First and foremost, we are not blaming the teachers. This is simply a reminder to our esteemed teachers about their important role as shapers of good character, especially among the youth)," Castro stressed.

Castro said it was not her intention to offend teachers in her statement on Tuesday's press briefing, where she said that the youth must be guided not only by their parents but also by their teachers. 

She went on to say that "we have sometimes seen that even some teachers themselves violate this kind of morality," adding that "at times, they even teach their students how to be disrespectful, especially toward elders or other people."

During Wednesday’s press briefing, Castro said her statement was prompted by two incidents in which teachers were found to have failed to uphold the promotion of good manners among students.

She cited the recent incident at a school in Davao City, where students made "unacceptable" remarks about the President during his visit.

The Palace official also cited a case involving a teacher who allegedly taught students insulting words in a video content.

Both cases, according to Castro, were investigated by the Department of Education (DepEd).

Castro asserted that her statement in the previous briefing was not meant to blame or attack teachers.

In a statement, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) condemned Malacañang's remarks, describing them as a “reckless and insulting tirade.” 

ACT said the Palace "is pointing fingers yet again, shifting the blame for the country’s culture of violence onto teachers and accusing us of failing to instill good manners among learners."

Castro responded to this, saying, "This is not about blaming anyone. I hope we can put my statement in its proper context. This is not an attack on teachers."

The Palace spokesperson also emphasized that the reason she cited the cases investigated by the DepEd was to urge teachers to remind their fellow teachers if they see such violations.

"So, ngayon ipinakita ko kung bakit iyon ang nasabi natin dahil totoo naman na mayroong mga guro na hindi nagsilbing maganda or modelo sa ating mga kabataan (So, I have now explained why I made that statement, because it is true that there are some teachers who have not served as good examples or role models for our youth)," Castro said.

"Kaya hinihimok ko po ang ating mga kagaling-galang na guro na magtulung-tulungan po tayo kung mayroon din po kayong nakikitang mga ganitong klaseng mga nangyayari sa kapuwa ninyo guro paalalahanan po natin na kayo po ay tinitingala bilang tagapagturo ng magandang kaugalian sa ating mga kabataan (That is why I am urging our respected teachers to work together with us. If you also see this kind of behavior happening among your fellow teachers, let us remind one another that you are looked up to as educators who help instill good values and proper conduct among our young people)," she added.

Castro, however, did not issue an apology over her remarks, but instead said "the one who should apologize is the person who gave the wrong context to what I said."