Text action center to receive plaints vs. abusive teachers

The Department of Education is now utilizing its DepEd DTxT action center to receive complaints from parents, students and concerned citizens against teachers who are allegedly abusing students. Recent reports of child abuse by public school teachers have prompted the DepEd to observe measures that would enable them to gather reports from complaints, primarily through Short Messaging Service. Though the center has been around for sometime already and is primarily used as a feedback system for emergencies, DepEd is asking concerned citizens to utilize the service to immediately report all allegations of child abuse.

The public can now report directly to the DepEd DTxT action center by typing in DepEd FDBK, and sending it to 2622.

DepEd regional director Carolino Mordeno said that this is one of the steps that DepEd is undertaking against teachers who are found abusing their students, similar to that recent report on a student in Taguig City, Metro Manila who died after being allegedly force-fed with pencil shavings by her teacher as a punishment.

The girl died of acute tonsillitis and pneumonia reportedly for swallowing the shavings. The suspect, teacher Brenda Elbambuena, is still at large.

Mordeno said that corporal punishments to be enforced among students are not allowed as stated on the rules of the DepEd. He asked teachers to treat their students as their own children and not use corporal punishment for misdeeds.

Earlier, DepEd assistant secretary for legal affairs Camilo Miguel "Bong" Montesa also warned school heads that schools would be closed down if they are found guilty of tolerating abusive teachers. Montesa also said that teachers would go to prison if they are found guilty of using extreme methods of punishment.

"The law is clear about protecting our children from abuse so I'd like to remind teachers and school officials about this. While cases of child abuse which we have read on papers may seem to be isolated, we have heard many anecdotal reports of abuse in schools at varying degrees including sexual abuse and we'd like to send out a message that we have no tolerance on this," Montesa said. - Jasmin R. Uy