MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) reminded the Philippine National Police (PNP) to coordinate with the agency first before entering the premises of schools amid reports of uniformed personnel asking schools to give out teachers’ personal information.

DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones said on Wednesday, January 9, that schools are considered as “zones of peace,” where the police and military are required to coordinate with education department first before conducting any activity.

“If it is necessary, they have to coordinate,” Briones said.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) previously said that police entered schools in areas such as Malabon City, Navotas City, and Quezon City to secure a list of ACT members. Some schools, the group claimed, eventually complied with the police’s requests.

While DepEd officials said they checked with every regional office on such reports, they did not categorically state whether personal information of teachers were indeed given to police officers.

DepEd Undersecretary Nepumoceno Malaluan said such requests made by the police to DepEd field units must be processed by the department’s central office.

“We will issue a reminder or directive that, for inter-agency requests that may involve personnel’s information that may be sensitive, it has to be referred to the central office and legal affairs,” Malaluan said.

Malaluan, who is also a lawyer, said the Data Privacy Act classifies an individual’s political inclination or affiliation as personal or sensitive information.

DepEd earlier directed its Manila school division to recall a memo it issued to school heads that echoed police orders to identify teachers aligned with ACT.

No stand?

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) already raised the alarm over the reports asking for personal information of teachers amid the “climate of harassment and threats against progressive and vocal groups.”

The CHR even went on to say that “there is a risk that the list can be utilized to repress legitimate concerns or to silence criticisms or opponents.”

Meanwhile, ACT urged DepEd to help protect teachers’ rights and personal information, which may be used to “intimidate and harass” those who may be affected by the police order. 

When asked whether DepEd shares the sentiments of ACT and CHR, Briones said that DepEd is a “public institution” and “operates according to law.”

“Official data we give to everybody like we have press conference. Personal information is covered by data privacy law,” Briones said. 

She added that such requests, no matter what government agency makes them, would go through the DepEd bureaucracy.

Briones said she and Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año agreed to such evaluation in a recent meeting.

National Capital Region Police Office Chief Guillermo Eleazar earlier said that listing members of progressive and militant groups was perfectly legal and that fears of it being used against them were unfounded.

PNP chief Oscar Albayalde ordered the relief of intelligence officers who “leaked” the internal memo, saying it caused unnecessary panic on the part of ACT members – Rappler.com