Public school teachers to hold classes on corruption, education woes
Public school teachers from more than 400 schools across the country are set to stage a sit-down strike today as part of the Black Friday Protest Against Corruption in a lead up to the Nov. 30 Luneta rally.
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers said alternative classes will be held inside public school campuses where issues such as corruption, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and the chronic neglect of the education sector.
In a phone interview, ACT secretary-general Raymond Basilio said this will be the group’s biggest and widest sit-down strike even as he admitted that schools have not officially endorsed the action.
He said based on their previous sit-down strikes in 2014, 2015 and 2018, none of the participating public school teachers faced backlash or sanctions.
“We have elementary, high school and college teachers and professors joining the sit-down strike (today),” he said.
“There is no official approval from most of the public schools. In fact, some of our teachers are being dissuaded from participating. But this will push through because the issues are pressing and impact the education sector too.”
“Public schools are the first to feel the brunt when there are budget cuts, so it is heartbreaking to hear that public funds are being misused for anomalous projects,” Basilio added.
Today’s “day of action” will begin at 6 a.m. with simultaneous banner-hanging activities in schools across the country. The sit-down strike proper will run from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“This sit-down strike is our contribution as teachers to invite more people to join the ‘Baha sa Luneta 2.0, Protestang Bayan Kontra Kurakot’ on Nov. 30,” ACT said in its media advisory.
Assemblies in Metro Manila will take place at the following locations:
Quezon City: Educators, education workers, and students will march from University of the Philippines-Diliman Quezon Hall at 4 p.m. toward Philcoa along Commonwealth Avenue (northbound lane), where they will converge with health workers and government employees. A program will begin at 5 p.m.
Manila: Teachers and health workers from the Philippine General Hospital, together with educators from UP Manila, will gather near Oblation Park and march toward Taft Avenue outside Araullo High School to meet other groups.
Pasig City: Teachers, parents, and students will converge at Plaza Bonifacio at 3 p.m.
Muntinlupa: Teachers and parents will hold a candle-lighting protest at Alabang Public Market at 7 p.m.
As this developed, the Philippine National Police said it will deploy 15,097 personnel to secure the Nov. 30 “Trillion Peso March” anti-corruption protests.
Some 8,805 officers from the National Capital Region Police Office will be fielded, while 6,292 more will come from the Special Action Force and the Police Regional Offices in Ilocos, Central Luzon, Calabarzon and the Cordillera, PNP spokesperson BGen. Randulf Tuaño said in a briefing at Camp Crame.
Tuaño said 973 officers will be stationed at the People Power Monument while 893 will be at the nearby EDSA Shrine.
Police presence will also be established in key areas around Malacañang, including Mendiola, Ayala Bridge, J.P. Laurel Street–Nagtahan, Legarda–Figueras, San Sebastian–Recto, Arlegui–P. Casal, San Rafael Street, Padilla Street and 5th Street.
Officers will likewise be posted at the House of Representatives in Quezon City, the Senate in Pasay City, and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure office in Taguig City.
“If you notice, our deployment is very large, reaching 15,000 plus, to places where people traditionally go during rallies. In places like freedom parks, a permit is no longer required and we automatically deploy police officers,” Tuaño said.
At present, police forces in Metro Manila are on heightened alert, but NCRPO spokesperson Maj. Hazel Asilo said the security alert status will be upgraded to full alert today.
