THE Department of Education has sought the assistance of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in validating reports of alleged emotional, verbal and sexual abuses committed in the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) located in Los Baños, Laguna.
Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte Carpio yesterday said that in her letter to the NBI, which was received on July 11, she asked the agency to “provide a comprehensive report on the issue as soon as possible.”
Duterte-Carpio said she has also directed the DepEd’s Child Protection Unit and Child Rights in Education Desk to conduct a parallel investigation.
The DepEd encouraged those who have concerns related to the alleged abuses in the PHSA to submit their complaints to the school’s committee on decorum and investigation for proper actions.
“The Department would like to reiterate that the agency does not tolerate abuses in any form,” it said, adding that it will continue to promote a “healthy and safe environment” for learners and teachers.
In a special report of Vice World News on June 28, several former students of the PHSA said they were allegedly abused either by teachers, personnel or fellow students at the state-run public high school for gifted young artists.
The special report has prompted the school to launch an internal probe, amid calls by the Child Rights Network Philippines to end the “cycle of abuse” at the PHSA and other educational institutions in the country.
The DepEd said the agency and the PHSA are now reviewing the school’s policies with the end view of strengthening its internal mechanism to ensure the safety of its students.
In a statement last week, the PHSA said it sympathizes with the alumni who complained of abuses but cautioned the public against making sweeping statements alleging that the PHSA is a place of abuse.
