On the Opening of Classes & the Plight of Teachers and Staff in Private Schools

Press Statement

16 August 2020

Contact: Prof. Rene Tadle

Lead Convenor, CoTeSCUP

0977-742-4120

Statement of the Council of Teachers and Staff of Colleges and Universities of the Philippines (CoTeSCUP)

We are glad to hear  the clarification from the Commission on Higher Education that indeed it is upon the discretion of the governing board of colleges and universities to approve the date of the opening of classes in accordance with the school calendar that fits best the context and planned activities of the schools, with a view to ensure the preparedness, capacity development, and health and protection of the principal stakeholders, the students.

We continue to raise our concern, however, for the teachers and staff in the private institutions. While our counterpart in the government institutions have been assured of their salaries and employment, our members are not as fortunate, being at the receiving end of the impact of the pandemic because of the no work, no pay scheme, impaired distribution system of financial assistance to teachers and staff in the form of the Social Amelioration Program, and the constant threat of displacement and retrenchment since school owners made the distress call on the low turnout of enrollment  in private schools.

We admire the confidence of the private schools to assure the government of their preparedness to open the schools even at the  basic education level. We thank them for their concern for their faculty and staff whose livelihoods depend on the operations of the schools.

Being the frontliners of the educational institutions, we appreciate the government's support in the form of vouchers to subsidize the tuition and other fees charged by private schools, since the implementation of the K to 12 law.

But we reiterate that any further financial assistance to private schools as they sound off their condition at present, should be tied to the commitment to protect labor and ensure the participation of the teachers and staff in crucial decisions that affect their lives and livelihood.

We protest any move to use the pandemic crisis as a justification of school owners to resort to lay-off, redundancy, early retirement, and worst of all,  retrenchment or termination to get rid of the teachers and the staff,  as the picture of low enrollment may not actually lead to significant losses or closure of schools decried by the school owners through their legal counsel.

It is painful and frustrating that when a crisis arises, the teachers who serve as front liners in the school are the first ones shown the exit door. Even if the Labor Code and jurisprudence have repeatedly reminded businesses that all ways and means must be exhausted before any decision to sever the employment of workers is arrived at, we usually take the brunt because we are the first to let go, and similar to what happened during the drafting and implementation of the K to 12 law, we are used as a means to cut down on expenses, even when we could be called on to be partners and stakeholders in addressing the challenges to educational institutions.
      

We have no lawyers we can retain and who will represent us in legislative hearings and battles. We take this opportunity to implore all concerned government agencies, our lawmakers, and most of all, President Duterte, to hear our voice and see from our perspective as educators.  In the country’s battle against the pandemic, please remember that we are part of the fundamental stakeholders of educational institutions, and also equally important, we are the front liners.

RENE LUIS TADLE, M.A.
Lead Convener
TESDA Board Member (Labor Sector)       
Faculty Member, University of Santo Tomas Manila, Philippines                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

NESTOR MAMUAD ASUNCION, Ed.D.

Convener

EITC-NCR (Vice Chairperson)

President, Faculty Association of MAPUA Institute of Technology 

Manila, Philippines

VICTOR AGUILAN, Th.D.     

Convener                                                                                  

External Affairs Officer, Silliman University Faculty Association                                                     

Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental

JONATHAN MARK TE

Acting President, Silliman University Faculty Association

Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental

JOVY F. CUADRA

President, Lyceum Faculty Association

Manila, Philippine

EDGAR G. VILLAN

President, St. Paul University-Manila Faculty Union

Manila, Philippines

DR. LEVY LARA LANARIA

President, College Faculty Independent Union
University of San  Carlos

Cebu City

GRACE SOCORRO LARCEÑA
Vice President, College Faculty Independent Union
University of San  Carlos (Downtown Campus)

Cebu City

NITA GAVIOLA DIZON

President, Centro Escolar University Faculty
and Allied Workers Union


MIGUEL JAMBALOS

President, San Beda College Alabang Employee Association


EDGAR B. GARNACE
President, Faculty Association of DSLUD, Inc.
Dasmarinas City, Cavite