Anti-abuse youth group, Enough Is Enough Ph (EIE), called on Malacanang to appoint a DepEd secretary that can competently address campus sexual harassment.
On June 19, Vice President Sara Duterte resigned as the Department of Education secretary.
The group argued that DepEd under Sara Duterte was consistent in its silence and inaction in addressing the pressing issue of sexual abuse and harassment in campuses.
“During her stint as Education secretary, Duterte treated the issue of on-campus sexual abuse as a public relations problem instead of a systemic one,” said Sophie Reyes, EIE Lead Convenor.
The group also asserted that the arrest of a campus abuse victim from Bacoor National High School on four counts of Cyber libel filed by the very teachers accused of sexual abuse last April is proof of Duterte’s incompetence.
Shortly after filing her resignation, VP Duterte held a press conference and claimed that “we have launched a centralized reporting system through the Learners Rights and Protection Office. By providing a hotline, we remind each learner that they are never alone”.
It can be remembered that in December 2022, EIE ran tests on the said hotline for victim-survivors and revealed that the phone numbers “cannot be reached”.
“Besides a bogus reporting system and a litany of motherhood statements, Sara Duterte has done nothing to ensure safe spaces in our schools. What we need is a DepEd Secretary ready to stand behind victim-survivors and punish campus predators and enablers,” said Reyes.
“We also warn President Marcos Jr. that the youth will not accept any political appointees or personal friends as DepEd secretary if he is sincere in addressing our concerns,” Reyes added.
The group demanded that the new DepEd Secretary must enact wholesale reforms in the education system which include 1) mandating schools to provide psychological, legal, and financial support for victim-survivors, 2) charging predators and enablers with criminal and administrative cases, 3) revoking professional licenses and the blacklisting of campus predators, 4) establishing a publicly-available national registry of sex offenders, and 5) establishing an anti-retaliatory policy to protect victims from retaliation by perpetrators.
“We will not settle for anything less,” ended Reyes.
