Can a woman give birth 11 times in three years?
Dumbfounded by this report, the Department of Education (DepEd) decided to create a fact-finding committee to look into an apparent irregularity involving a teacher who allegedly filed a total of 11 maternity leaves in just three years.
However, the teacher implicated in the anomaly categorically denied the allegation, saying she never filed for maternity leave because she has no children.
DepEd spokesman Atty. Michael Poa said the fact-finding committee will be composed of officers from DepEd regional offices, not schools division offices, to maintain impartiality of the investigation.
Poa said the panel will check the records on the alleged filing of the maternity leaves to determine if the teachers involved were really pregnant and had given birth at the time.
He urged a whistleblower and other individuals who may know about the scam to forward and give their statement.
“We want to know if this is an isolated case, or if it is widespread,” Poa said.
DepEd-TAPAT Curriculum Implementation Division chief Dr. Ellery Quintia on Thursday showed documents wherein one teacher received money ranging from P35,000 to P61,000 from 2016 to 2019 as she filed multiple maternity leaves during the three-year period.
Under the Expanded Maternity Leave Law enacted in 2019, female workers in the public sector, including public school teachers, would be granted maternity leave of 105 days with full pay,” and maternity leave of 60 days with full pay for miscarriage or emergency termination of pregnancy.
“Good as cash ito. Kung titingnan mo ito, cash na ito na ibababa sa account ni teacher… Hindi ko naman siya kinausap tungkol dito. Maaaring hindi nga siya aware kung ano iyong nangyari at nanganak siya ng 11 beses sa loob ng tatlong taon… Maaaring si teacher, biktima rin. Ginamit din… Ito ay conspiracy ng mga nasa itaas,” Quintia said.
Quintia said in 2019, some personnel noticed the anomalous filing of maternity leaves, and the accountant and bookkeeper at that time filed a joint report on the matter.
In 2021, Quintia learned of the said issue and decided to blow the whistle on the anomaly.
Speaking to ABS-CBN News on Thursday, a teacher identified only as “Rose” in the documents, said she has not filed for leaves since she began teaching in a school in Taguig in 1999.
Rose also said she does not have a child.
“Wala akong alam diyan. As in. Hindi ko alam na ganyan din, may scam na ganyan. As in wala akong alam. Ngayon lang, na ininterview niyo ako. Ngayon lang din ko nalaman na kasama ako dyan,” she said.
“Hindi pa ako naglea-leave from 1999 na nandito ako… hanggang ngayon. Hindi pa ako naglea-leave. As in malinis iyong record ko. At wala akong anak,” she added.
Rose also denied that she received money during the said period.
“Sana mayaman na ako. Teacher 1 nga ako, ‘di ba. Hindi na ako nagpapa-promote kasi okay na sa akin iyong pera ko, walang problema doon… As in hindi, kaya nga na-shock ako ngayon nung sinabi na mayganoong pera kasi wala talaga,” she said.
Cecilia Capistrano, Rose’s co-worker, confirmed that Rose has not taken a leave of absence during the time mentioned.
“Agree naman ako sa kanya. Based on records talaga, wala akong pina-process na nag-file siya ng maternity leave kahit isang beses kasi hindi naman siya nagbuntis. So hindi possible na mayroon siyang maternity leave,” Capistrano explained.
Capistrano said maternity leaves are commonly availed of by personnel once a year, except for extraordinary cases like miscarriage, which is also entitled to benefits.