The Department of Education issued a memorandum asking for a list of teachers affiliated with the Alliance of Concerned Teachers because the group has been making illegal deductions from teachers’ salaries and funneling this to the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People’s Army, and National Democratic Front .The claim was made in a July 3 video posted by a YouTube channel with over 738,000 subscribers.
The department denied allegations that the memo was meant to profile members of ACT, which Duterte had previously linked to the communist movement.on June 24, the department said that similar requests were made “for the list of members of other unions, organizations, and associations of teaching and non-teaching personnel availing of the APDS.
The department regulates the use of APDS to “facilitate and ensure orderly implementation of salary deductions authorized by law, adherence to legal limitations on salary deductions, and protection and promotion of the welfare of all teachers and employees.”the DepEd memo, saying this was the third time the group has been subjected to profiling. The group added that its members and regional unions have been compliant with existing guidelines on APDS as per DepEd Order No. 20, s. 2021.
“There is no need for DepEd to collect the list of ACT members as it is DepEd which approves and implements the APDS every month. Such acts and measures seek to stigmatize ACT’s work, repress its advocacies, and restrict civic space from teachers and education workers who are critical of the government,” the groupACT also expressed concern over the DepEd request, pointing out that Duterte has been engaged in “relentless and malicious red-tagging” of the group.