The Department of Education (DepEd) has issued an internal memorandum instructing regional and division offices to identify public school teachers affiliated with the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT).
This move follows ACT's complaint to an international organization regarding their alleged red-tagging by the education secretary.
On June 14, Undersecretary for Operation Revsee Escobedo released a memorandum directing regional directors and school division superintendents to submit a list of ACT-affiliated teachers enrolled in the DepEd's Automatic Payroll Deduction System. The deadline for submissions has been set for June 21.
"The Office respectfully requests the submission of the complete list of teachers affiliated with the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT-Teachers) who are availing the Department's Automatic Payroll Deduction System (APDS)," the memo read.
"All submissions must be consolidated at the regional level, verified, and signed by the Regional Director," it added.
However, the memo does not provide a reason for the request to identify ACT-affiliated teachers who receive salaries through the DepEd's payroll.
ACT denounces profiling
In response to the DepEd's directive to identify ACT members, the group has strongly condemned the alleged profiling operations.
The teachers' group received reports of profiling incidents in Bohol and Region 10, prompting them to call for the nullification of all existing directives related to this matter.
"The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines received 3 reports of profiling, 1 from Bohol and 2 from Region X. ACT vehemently condemns these profiling operations of the Department of Education (DepEd) and appeals to nullify all existing directives," the statement read.
ACT is calling for Regional Directors to provide clarification regarding the memo's intentions, and for School Division Offices (SDOs) to carefully evaluate any requests before sharing members' information.
The teachers' group also emphasizes that rather than focusing on profiling its members, the DepEd should prioritize addressing the ongoing learning crisis in the education system.
"The group also reiterated that instead of profiling our members, DepEd should focus on resolving our learning crisis and give concrete actions in solving negligence and corruption issues that the Department is currently facing," they pointed out.
ACT serves as an essential organization for teachers, providing a platform for surveys and gathering feedback to address crucial education issues, including the challenging heat experienced inside classrooms during the dry season.
