OVER P50-M REWARD?

Zambales teacher didn't deserve 'harsh, selective' treatment from NBI -ACT

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT-Teachers) Philippines on Wednesday questioned the arrest of an educator who offered reward to anyone who can kill President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a statement on Wednesday, ACT-Teachers argued that the tweet of public school teacher Ronnel Mas, in which he offered a P50-million reward to anyone who could kill the President, did not deserve such “harsh” measures from the NBI and should not have led to an arrest.

"Teachers' dire economic state is no secret to the people, especially to the government…Ronnel obviously does not have P50 million to pay as bounty hence his post clearly does not pose any serious threat to the President,” Secretary General Raymond Basilio said.

“Why then did the NBI spend valuable time and resources to apprehend this teacher?" Basilio added.

Mas, who has since apologized, was eventually slapped with an inciting to sedition complaint.

The group noted that the 25-year old Social Studies teacher from Taltal National High School has a record of being one of the most outstanding high school teachers in Zambales.

According to ACT, Mas is the fifth teacher to have been accosted during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

Before him, teachers Juliet and Eli Espiñosa of General Santos City, Dale Gregory Medins of Las Piñas City, and Edison Carsera of Norzagaray were also arrested during ECQ.

The group questioned how the authorities did not show the same aggressiveness to “even more violent and disturbing posts and pronouncements” by Duterte supporters and some government officials against the administration’s critics.

ACT-Teachers cited Duterte’s various official media briefings where he called on authorities to commit violent acts, as well as the Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. tweets about shooting Bagong Alyansang Makabayan members to death.

"It is therefore clear that this is not a matter of implementing the law down to the last letter, but a selective imposition depending on the powers-that-be's prerogatives,” Basilio said.

NBI Dagupan office chief Rizaldy Jaymalin on Wednesday denied that the bureau was being selective.

“'Di naman po tayo sa nagiging selective. Lahat naman po ng tao na nakaka-violate ng ating mga batas ay tinatrabaho naman po natin," Jaymalin said.

The official, however, did not answer questions on whether the bureau was likewise already pursuing other netizens making threats on other government officials. -Joviland Rita/MDM, GMA News