MANILA, Philippines – Teachers from Bacoor National High School in Cavite, who had used a dilapidated comfort room as their office, finally got a new decent faculty room.
Maricel Herrera, the faculty president shared on her Facebook account photos of their new office.
What used to be the school’s social hall now has tables, small cabinets and teaching materials to be used by the teachers. Herrera said, “New faculty room. Mas maluwag at komportable ang mga teachers. Sana noon pa ini-offer na ito!”
Herrera was also responsible for the recent viral photos of how their teachers transformed an old comfort room as their faculty room. She said that due to the shortage of classrooms, they were forced to move into the restrooms. The Faculty president said that while other options were offered to them such as laboratory rooms, they weren’t enough to accommodate all the teachers.
The post has ignited a heated debate among netizens, teachers and the Department of Education (DepEd.)
DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones has earlier slammed the teachers for being “dramatic” saying that they had a choice. She earlier said, “Tiningan namin yan. Ang choice ng teachers dahil nangangailangan, malaki ang enrolment, na delayed ang budget natin, na late ang paggawa ng school buildings. They had a choice to use the laboratory rooms but of course, it’s more dramatic, more touching if they use the toilets.”
DepEd Undersecretary Anne Sevilla also issued a call asking for more coordination. She said that the agency and the teachers should work together, instead of ‘throwing blames and fault at each other.’
Even the Principal of Bacoor National High School, Anita Rom has threatened to press charges against Herrera for allegedly besmirching the reputation of their school and DepEd.
Meanwhile, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) lauded Herrera for her “brave exposé on the teachers’ dismal working conditions, and ‘disparaging of the school and DepEd’s image’ as her principal puts it, for the powers-that-be to finally listen to our calls."
ACT said they are looking forward to DepEd’s promise of building more faculty rooms by including its funding in their 2020 budget request.
The issue has opened to more reports of teachers moving in to abandoned toilets as their office. At F.G. Calderon High School in Hermosa, Tondo, Manila, Araling Panlipunan teachers have been working into their comfort room-turned-faculty room.
A formal statement from the Department of Education was released to address the issue. Part of their resolution reads, “DepEd has included in its 2020 budget request to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) the funding for an initial batch of such buildings that will have space for principal’s office, faculty room, guidance room, library, and school supplies and equipment storage in times of calamities.”
“DepEd also reminds its teachers and personnel that there are appropriate administrative procedures in addressing welfare concerns,” they stated.
— Sally, The Summit Express
Maricel Herrera, the faculty president shared on her Facebook account photos of their new office.
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| Teachers from Bacoor National High School moved into their new faculty room | Photo Courtesy: Facebook/Maricel Herrera |
What used to be the school’s social hall now has tables, small cabinets and teaching materials to be used by the teachers. Herrera said, “New faculty room. Mas maluwag at komportable ang mga teachers. Sana noon pa ini-offer na ito!”
Herrera was also responsible for the recent viral photos of how their teachers transformed an old comfort room as their faculty room. She said that due to the shortage of classrooms, they were forced to move into the restrooms. The Faculty president said that while other options were offered to them such as laboratory rooms, they weren’t enough to accommodate all the teachers.
The post has ignited a heated debate among netizens, teachers and the Department of Education (DepEd.)
DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones has earlier slammed the teachers for being “dramatic” saying that they had a choice. She earlier said, “Tiningan namin yan. Ang choice ng teachers dahil nangangailangan, malaki ang enrolment, na delayed ang budget natin, na late ang paggawa ng school buildings. They had a choice to use the laboratory rooms but of course, it’s more dramatic, more touching if they use the toilets.”
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| DepEd said they will start including the budget to build faculty rooms in their 2020 budget | Photo Courtesy: Facebook/Maricel Herrera |
DepEd Undersecretary Anne Sevilla also issued a call asking for more coordination. She said that the agency and the teachers should work together, instead of ‘throwing blames and fault at each other.’
Even the Principal of Bacoor National High School, Anita Rom has threatened to press charges against Herrera for allegedly besmirching the reputation of their school and DepEd.
Meanwhile, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) lauded Herrera for her “brave exposé on the teachers’ dismal working conditions, and ‘disparaging of the school and DepEd’s image’ as her principal puts it, for the powers-that-be to finally listen to our calls."
ACT said they are looking forward to DepEd’s promise of building more faculty rooms by including its funding in their 2020 budget request.
The issue has opened to more reports of teachers moving in to abandoned toilets as their office. At F.G. Calderon High School in Hermosa, Tondo, Manila, Araling Panlipunan teachers have been working into their comfort room-turned-faculty room.
A formal statement from the Department of Education was released to address the issue. Part of their resolution reads, “DepEd has included in its 2020 budget request to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) the funding for an initial batch of such buildings that will have space for principal’s office, faculty room, guidance room, library, and school supplies and equipment storage in times of calamities.”
“DepEd also reminds its teachers and personnel that there are appropriate administrative procedures in addressing welfare concerns,” they stated.
— Sally, The Summit Express
