Teachers group oppose DepEd plan to allow more police around schools

MANILA, Philippines — A teachers’ group has warned that the Department of Education’s plan to allow more police officers near schools to curb youth violence could turn campuses into “extensions of police camps" and create a culture of fear among students.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said he had asked the Philippine National Police (PNP) to step up cops' visibility around the vicinity of schools and possibly train barangay and school “first responders" to violent incidents, during his meeting with PNP Chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III on August 15.

But in a statement on Monday, August 18, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said the presence of more cops would not prevent violence among students and instead normalize "militarization" in schools. 

“Schools are meant to be centers of learning and growth, not extensions of police camps,” ACT chairperson Vladimer Quetua said. "Increasing police presence will only cultivate fear, surveillance, and a culture of violence, instead of addressing the conditions that drive youth towards violent acts."

Quetua also questioned the credibility of the police to act as deterrents to violence. He noted that the DepEd-PNP meeting came a day before the anniversary of the 2017 killing of 17-year-old student Kian delos Santos in an anti-drug operation, a case that has since become emblematic of police abuses.

The PNP, in its statement on the August 15 meeting, said Torre highlighted the “vital role” of DepEd in reducing recruitment by the New People’s Army by “fostering awareness among the youth.” He also discussed coordination on bullying and school violence, citing the PNP’s “5-Minute Response Policy” as a way to immediately respond to emergencies in schools.

ACT argued that the proposal contradicts DepEd’s own orders declaring schools as “zones of peace” and free from militarization. Specifically, DepEd Order No. 44 (2005) and DepEd Order No. 32 (2019) commit the agency to child protection, human rights, and peacebuilding, while affirming it would keep schools as zones of peace even when there is no armed conflict. 

“The call for heightened police visibility is a direct violation of these DepEd policies,” Quetua said. “It undermines the agency’s own commitments to human rights, child protection, and peacebuilding in education.” 

Instead of deploying PNP personnel around schools, ACT urged the government to strengthen peace and justice education, provide more guidance counselors and psychosocial services, and create democratic spaces for students to voice concerns. 

The group also pressed for a "sufficient budget for education — closing the gap in shortages of security personnel, guidance counselors, and psychosocial support programs." Quetua noted that Congress is set to begin deliberations on the 2026 national budget in two weeks.

“Security cannot be reduced to police patrols,” the ACT chairperson said. “What our children need is guidance, support, and opportunities to participate in shaping a better society — not more armed men patrolling their classrooms.”

Why is DepEd turning to the PNP? Another teachers’ group says the problem is a chronic lack of funds for basic school security.

“There is not enough budget to ensure that every school has its own security personnel,” said Teachers’ Dignity Coalition chairperson Benjo Basas in an earlier radio interview.

“We need investment in school security, but that is a long shot because the allocation for the MOOE [maintenance and other operating expenses] of schools, and for the Department of Education as a whole, is low. It is far from the actual need,” Basas said.

In the absence of dedicated security guards, school principals often coordinate with barangays or their local governments for campus security, Basas explained.

In Metro Manila, for example, traffic management and crowd control outside school gates are usually handled by job order personnel from city halls or barangay tanod (watchmen), instead of trained security staff.  

Increase in violence

The DepEd’s move comes after a string of violent incidents on campuses in recent weeks that have also prompted a direct order from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for a full investigation.

On August 7, a 15-year-old student in Nueva Ecija was shot inside a classroom by her ex-boyfriend, who later took his own life. Days earlier, on August 4, a teacher in Lanao del Sur was gunned down by a Grade 11 student after failing him in class. On August 10, a nine-year-old in Iligan City was mauled by older students and fell into a coma.

Marcos has directed the DepEd, PNP, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to probe the incidents. 

The Department of Social Welfare and Development, meanwhile, has been ordered to review the implementation of child protection policies in schools nationwide.