SEN. Risa Hontiveros has filed a resolution urging the appropriate committee to conduct an investigation, in aid of legislation, on the reported sexual harassment incidents involving educators in various schools nationwide.
Proposed Senate Resolution No. 168, which was filed last Tuesday, urged the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality to look into the reported incidents “with the end in view of creating safe spaces for students” and hold the perpetrators accountable for their acts.
Hontiveros filed the resolution in the wake of sexual harassment incidents involving teachers at the Bacoor National High School in Cavite, St. Theresa’s College in Quezon City, and the Philippine High School for the Arts in Los Banos, Laguna.
She said the Filipino people need to be updated on what happened to the sexual harassment cases.
“As of this writing, it is not clear if the investigations being conducted by the Department (of Education) involve criminal aspects or if it is focused exclusively on internal administrative proceedings,” she said.
She said sexual harassment incidents are possibly happening in other learning institutions but the victims “do not report because their abusers are persons of authority.
“Sexual harassment cases brought up to the educational institutions’ notice must be resolved in a transparent, pro-active, and timely manner in order to ensure the swift delivery of justice. Schools must remain a safe haven for students,” Hontiveros said in the resolution.
She said teachers and other perpetrators of sexual harassment should be kicked out of learning institutions and held accountable for their actions.
Hontiveros also reminded school authorities not to whitewash their investigations to “save face” as they have responsibilities to the students.
“Instances of abuse and sexual harassment in schools committed by teachers and school personnel have been transpiring with almost regularity. This creates more urgency for the effective, faithful, and timely implementation of the Safe Spaces Law in our schools to avoid cases of sexual harassment and to weed out perpetrators among school ranks,” she added.
