THE ALLIANCE of Concerned Teachers denounced the holding of an anti-terrorism seminar by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict at the Agusan National High School in Butuan City which was attended by 350 public school teachers.

ACT condemned the “National Security Concern and Disaffiliation Activity” which it said added to the relentless attacks on its members and unions.

The group likewise slammed the Department of Education’s participation in the activities of the anti-communist task force.

“Nakakagalit na sa kabila ng napakaraming isyung pang-kaguruan na kinakailangang solusyonan, itong pang-re-redtag pa talaga ang inuna ng ating gobyerno. Habang busy ang ating mga teachers na magbigay ng serbisyo at punan ang napakalaking kakulangan ng gobyerno sa edukasyon kahit sila na mismo ang magkasakit, ang gobyerno naman ay busy sa walang habas na pang-re-redtag at pagtapak sa karapatan at kapakanan ng ating mga guro,” Raymond Basilio, the group’s secretary general, said.

A memorandum issued by DepEd Caraga’s Schools Division Superintendent Marilou Dedumo  said teachers, “except the senior citizens” were required to attend the 2-hour seminar organized by the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, Department of Education-Caraga, Police Regional Office-13, and the 402nd Infantry Brigade.

“Nakatanggap din kami ng ulat na ang mga miyembrong guro namin ay pinagbabantaang isasama sa diumano’y sunod na bungkos ng mga gawa-gawang kaso kung hindi nila ide-denounce ang ACT. Ganito kasahol ang ginagawang pananakot at paglabag sa mga batayang karapatan ng mga pampublikong guro natin, partikular sa mga unyonisadong guro na matapang na inilalantad ang masalimuot na kalagayan nila sa paggawa, higit lalo sa ilalim ng distance learning. Pinangungunahan ng mga lider ng ACT ang laban para sa dagdag-suweldo, benepisyo, at karapatan ng mga guro sa rehiyon, bakit panunupil ang tugon ng estado?” Basilio said.

Last month, ACT received reports of DepEd officials profiling its members through Google Forms as well as reports of teachers being pressed to declare and denounce their membership to the organization, he added.

Basilio said that such activities violate DepEd’s own DO 44, s.2005 and DO 32, s. of 2019, which declare schools as zones of peace and must be free from military interference and operations.

“Let’s not forget that our very own union secretary in CARAGA — Teacher Lai Consad — was a victim of state-sponsored attacks that culminated in her unjust arrest and detention. No less than an NTF-ELCAC officer harangued her during one of her illegal interrogations, shortly after she was paraded in a press conference where she was wantonly branded as a ‘high-ranking official’ of the CPP-NPA,” Basilio said.