MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) have launched a partnership to offer free legal aid to teachers and school staff across the country.
Under this new agreement, public school teachers and non-teaching personnel, such as administrative officers, accountants, clerks and bookkeepers, will gain access to legal assistance for disputes and other issues requiring legal support.
The Memorandum of Agreement was signed on Monday, October 28, in a ceremony led by Education Secretary Sonny Angara and IBP President Antonio Pido.
In his statement, Angara said the initiative's reach, estimating that over 800,000 teachers and 100,000 non-teaching staff will benefit from the support.
“We're happy to note that this legal assistance memorandum we're signing with the IBP will benefit not only our teachers but also our school-based non-teaching personnel,” Angara said, speaking in a mix of English and Filipino.
“We don’t just offer praise to our teachers; we provide real service, genuine public service, and appreciation for what they contribute to our loved ones,” he added.
This initiative aligns with recent legislative efforts. In May 2023, the House of Representatives’ basic education committee endorsed a bill aimed at protecting teachers from broad allegations of child abuse by specifying actions that fall within their “disciplinary authority” in the classroom.
The bill seeks to amend provisions in the Child Abuse Law, which currently classifies many disciplinary actions as potential child abuse, leading to frequent charges against teachers for actions intended as discipline.
DepEd's Child Protection Policy manual explicitly prohibits corporal punishment, defining it as any disciplinary action that is “physical, humiliating, or degrading.”