Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 24) — The Department of Education (DepEd) on Saturday denied the allegation of profiling after it ordered its local units to submit a list of teachers affiliated with the ACT Teachers Party-list.
DepEd earlier issued a memorandum dated June 14 with the subject “Request for Submission of the List of ACT Union-Affiliated Teachers Who are Availing of the Automatic Payroll Deduction System.”
However, the agency claimed that the “sole purpose” of consolidating the names of those availing of the Automatic Payroll Deduction System (APDS) is to centralize and update DepEd’s Human Resource Systems.
“The allegation that the memorandum was intended to profile the members of ACT Union as part of a supposed government anti-insurgency campaign is patently absurd, distorted, and followed no logic,” DepEd said in a statement.
“The request was publicly available and proves that it did not intend to target members of the union, as alleged by ACT,” it also said.
The memorandum, signed by Undersecretary. Revsee Escobedo, was posted on DepEd Calabarzon’s website.
Meanwhile, DepEd Cordillera also posted a memorandum showing the template for the supposed list to be submitted.
The department added that it also requested the names of teachers from other unions, noting that it has no intention to purposely target members of ACT Teacher’s Party-list.
“While a memorandum sought the list of ACT Union members, separate requests were also made for the list of members of other unions, organizations, and associations of teaching and non-teaching personnel availing of the APDS,” the agency said.
The Makabayan bloc at the House of Representatives, led by ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro, condemned the “profiling operations” against the teachers’ group, adding it also violated the Data Privacy Act.
