PNP urged to clarify supposed profiling of teachers' group
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights raised alarm over the supposed move of the Philippine National Police to profile members of Alliance of Concerned Teachers, a move that top officials have disavowed.
In a statement, CHR spokesperson Jacqueline De Guia urged the PNP to clarify the allegations that police intelligence agents have been visiting schools in Cebu, Sorsogon, Camarines Sur, Zambales, Agusan de Sur and Metro Manila since the start of the year to inventory ACT members.
“We urge the government, particularly the Philippine National Police, to clarify such allegations, especially that a provincial police office confirmed such orders to profile ACT members but other leaderships have denied it,” De Guia said.
Both PNP Director General Oscar Albayalde and Director Guillermo Eleazar of the National Capital Region Police Office have denied issuing orders to compile a list of ACT members.
But according to an ABS-CBN News report, the intelligence chief of the Zambales Provincial Police Office confirmed that the supposed PNP memorandum is legitimate and that police are only following orders.
While Eleazar expressed suprise over the alleged inventory of teachers, he stressed that it just normal for the PNP to monitor “any kind of threat against the government.”
“It is important for our police force to stay true to their role as law enforcers. After all, it is their sworn duty to serve and protect the rights of every Filipino,” De Guia said.
It is unclear how a teachers' union qualifies as a threat to the government.
BMP: Memo 'highly dubious, disturbing'
Leody De Guzman, chairman of Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino and a candidate for senator, in a separate statement urged the PNP to explain the objectives of the alleged profiling, saying the memoranda supporting the supposed police activity are "highly dubious and disturbing."
BMP and ACT are from separate political blocs but 2018 saw improved relations between rival labor groups.
Among the documents that ACT has presented as evidence of the supposed profiling are endorsements from Deprtment of Education officials.
"This is very unlikely. We have been holding elections since martial law was lifted but it has not come to the point that national police instruct its units to send text messages, hold visitations and seek the DepEd’s endorsement for them to hold an inventory of our teachers," De Guzman said.
"On top of the vagueness of the intel memo, the DepEd endorsement letter also provided nothing urgent and concrete for them to urge school principals to accomodate the PNP’s surveillance of their employees," he also said.
‘Profiling’ violates rights to privacy, association
The CHR spokesperson also said the alleged inventory of ACT members, if true, would be in violation of the rights to privacy and association and may lead to abuses.
“Should there be clear grounds against ACT and its members, then the police should be transparent in applying the law and equally ensure that due process is observed,” De Guia said.
She added: “Clandestine operations may lead to a number of abuses as it is easier to deny accountability for any action.”
ACT earlier likened the PNP’s memorandum to the ‘tokhang’ list “that the PNP forced barangay officials to fill out” with names of alleged drug suspects. It added the police force has no business in meddling with the affairs of the teachers.
ACT, which is represented in Congress by ACT Teachers partylist, said it is a “legitimate teachers' organization with a long history of service to professional teachers, education support personnel, and the Filipino people in general.”
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