Teachers “removed” from positions seek JVR’s help

CEBU, Philippines - More than 20 teachers went to the office of Talisay City Mayor Johnny De los Reyes yesterday morning to seek help regarding their status.

Some of them said they have already started to teach in some public elementary and high schools after receiving their items but were removed from their jobs.

The receiver of an “item” means he or she qualified to teach and is hired as a permanent teacher.

Some of the teachers said they are qualified to teach but have not been given items because the division favors Teacher Aid Volunteers (TAVs).

Department of Education Talisay Division Superintendent Woodrow Denuyo said he is just following a DepEd order which prioritizes the TAVs.

One of the teachers who went to the mayor’s office yesterday was Jeralyn Vinculado who has an item that indicates she is a Permanent Teacher I and has already started to teach in grade two at the Talisay City Central School.

She said she was pulled out without a formal order.

Vinculado said that last June 10, 2013 she received her assignment order from the division of Talisay.

After she received the order, she completed all the necessary requirements before reporting for work at the school where she was assigned.

But last June 25, she and three other teachers at the Talisay City Central School were told they were being pulled out.

She said the principal told them that all non-TAVs are being pulled out from their stations (respective schools) and that the division office will answer all their questions.

Vinculado said the administrative officer of the division had told them they have to wait for one to two months for an approval to work from the civil service commission.

But the teachers, after consulting a lawyer, were advised to go back to their respective stations because the order they had received was just verbal.

Together with three other teachers, Vinculado went back to the school last June 26 but they found out that they had been replaced by TAVs.

After the incident, Vinculado sent a letter of clarification to DepEd Secretary Armin Luisito on the status of their items.

Luisito has sent an order to the DepEd regional office but until yesterday the teachers have not received any answer from the division.

Vinculado said she has learned from the Civil Service Commission that the agency only attests their documents as professional teachers and to do this only takes more than an hour.

The CSC ordered the teachers to report to the division office for lack of a formal order that states they have been pulled out. They would be marked absent without leave if they fail to report for work.

Last July 4, the teachers reported to the division office just to make sure their presence was recorded in a logbook.

  But they did not get the chance to log out last Monday afternoon.

Yesterday, they failed to log in because the log book was missing and nobody could tell them where it was.De los Reyes has ordered city legal counsel Alfredo Sipalay to study the teachers’ grievances.

Sipalay said he has set an appointment with Denuyo to discuss the problem.

He also said Denuyo can be sued in the Ombudsman Visayas if his decision is inconsistent with policy.

The teachers also plan to file charges against Denuyo in the office of the Ombudsman.

Denuyo had said he will defend himself if the teachers file complaints against him.  (FREEMAN)