THE ALLIANCE of Concerned Teachers called on the Department of Education to cancel the scheduled face-to-face seminars of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict in Mindoro schools.

The group said the seminars show how rabid the government is in forwarding its fascist agenda even in the education sector, which it had abandoned throughout this health crisis.

“Teachers fear for their health and safety on a regular basis, especially with inadequate preventive health measures in their workplaces and the worst spike yet in Covid19 cases. Their welfare suffer due to the extensive demands of a poorly implemented distance learning. Ganito ninyo na nga kami pabayaan, gusto ninyo pa kami ngayong ipahamak diyan sa face-to-face seminar ng militar? And for what, so we can listen to them arbitrarily red-tag our union and violate our rights and freedoms? This must be stopped,” ACT Region IV-B union Vice-President Kristy Borbe said.

ACT argued that teachers were already overwhelmed with heavy workload while being exposed daily to the worsening health crisis as they perform their duties and responsibilities. They need not be subjected to more hostile work conditions with the presence of state forces at schools, the group said.

The group added that DepEd must prohibit these activities in line with its own Department Order 44, s.2005 and DO 32, s. of 2019 on schools as zones of peace and called on President Rodrigo Duterte to “pull out his troops” from schools.

“We call on DepEd to do its mandate and ensure that schools are free from military interference and operations. Immediately bar these activities from taking place in our schools and in DepEd offices! Otherwise, you’ll have enabled these soldiers to commit more crimes against teachers, staff and even students,” ACT Secretary General Raymond Basilio said.

The group reminded DepEd of the aftermath of allowing terrorist-tagging to ‘go on with impunity’ after Assistant Principal and ACT Region XIII union secretary Teacher Lai Consad was unjustly arrested.

Consad posted bail on Friday and is presently working with ACT and their lawyers on her legal defense.

ACT Philippines declared that schools and DepEd offices must be demilitarized as part of pushing back against military encroachment on civilian agencies and spaces, which had been legitimized by Duterte’s 2018 Executive Order 70 and the subsequent creation of the NTF-ELCAC.