A PARTY-LIST lawmaker on Tuesday said it is not enough for the Department of Education (DepEd) to just apologize for “body-shaming” actress Angel Locsin and insisted that the school division head be given an appropriate sanction for this serious display of ignorance and grievous negligence.
Ang Probinsyano party-list Rep. Ronnie Ong said DepEd should not just dismiss and forget the issue because it will undermine the credibility of the country’s teaching profession.
“What is happening with DepEd under Secretary Leonor Briones? Let me remind Secretary Briones that apart from teaching our kids on how to read, write, do math and understand science, the DepEd should also teach our children good manners and respect to their fellowmen,” Ong said.
“Dismissing this issue as something that can just go away easily is completely wrong. People who are responsible for this kind of disrespect must be held responsible for their actions. Hindi pwedeng sorry lang okay na,” Ong said.
Even more revolting, Ong said, is the fact that while Congress has passed laws to stop bullying especially in schools, the DepEd on the other hand is teaching very young minds that it is alright to denigrate people by calling them names just because they look different.
Ong said the explanation of DepEd’s School Division Superintendent Roger Safa stating that that the material which allegedly “body-shamed” Locsin was a “teacher-made assessment” and not quality-assured by the DepEd office is a direct admission that DepEd has no control nor assessment on what is being taught to their students in their so-called blended learning system.
He said Safa’s mandate is to ensure that all teaching materials, including the so-called development tools are reviewed and approved before they are used in the classroom, whether online or through so-called learning modules.
Ong said it is Safa’s responsibility also to make sure that the teachers in his division are competent and are morally equipped to teach young kids.
