REP. ALONTE ASKS PAO LAWYERS TO SWIFTLY AID TEACHERS BEING BULLIED IN MEDIA, WHOSE DUE PROCESS RIGHTS ARE BEING TRAMPLED UPON
Deputy Majority Leader Rep. Marlyn 'Len' Alonte is reviving in the 18th Congress the House bill on teacher protection sent to the Senate last June as the 17th Congress drew to a close.
Press Release:: "For teachers whose rights need protecting right now, I ask the Public Attorney's Office to swiftly come to the aid of these teachers," said Alonte, a Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) awardee in the field of Government & Public Service cited for her contribution to public education.
"The bill I am filing is a slightly-improved iteration of the House-approved version, which is the better starting point for the 18th Congress because it was already the product of detailed scrutiny, technical working group analysis, public hearings and plenary floor deliberations," Alonte explained.
"There is urgent need for this bill because teachers are being denied due process and competent legal defense, humiliated in trial by publicity, and are under attack by trolls and heartless misinformed netizens in social media," the former three-term mayor of Biñan City said.
Alonte said she supported then House Bill 9065 in the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture. HB 9065 was originally HB 58 of Representatives Antonio Tinio and France Castro.
"But the 17th Congress lacked time to pass the bill and send it to the President for signature. I am hoping that in this 18th Congress, by filing it now, both the House and the Senate will have enough time to approve it before this first regular session ends," the House Deputy Majority Leader said.
"In addition to the House-approved text of the Teachers’ Protection bill, I incorporated a few improvements, including a mandate for the Department of Education to ensure that free legal services are made available plus measures to make sure both students and teachers are reasonably protected from trial by publicity," Alonte also said.
She said, "legal counsel, whether a pro bono private attorney, teachers' union lawyer, or from Public Attorney’s Office must be made available to teachers in distress, especially during media interviews to ensure that the due process rights and other human rights of teachers are upheld."
The ranking lady solon said, "the DepEd should have, in addition to its long-established Positive Discipline Policy, a Media Relations and Crisis Communications Policy with implementing measures against slander, defamation, libel, and cyberbullying, as well as training for school principals on proper crisis management." (END)
* Today's Helpful Tip *
Tala app is a fast and easy way to borrow money, and it's used and trusted by many. Download Tala to join millions of Filipino users today! >>>
http://inv.re/9o3vpLinkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=91634.0
Topic: House bill on teacher protection (Read 431 times)