DepEd: No order to review policy on teachers’ out-of-town training

There is still no order to revisit the Department of Education's policy on teachers going on out-of-town training and seminars after a bus accident in Bataan resulted in the death of a public school teacher, the DepEd spokesman has said.

At a news conference, Atty. Michael Poa said that both Department Order (DO) 32, series of 2011; and DO 66, series of 2017 allowed such activities for teachers.

“Ang klaro lang po sa both policies is allowed ang out-of-town trainings, ang out-of-town seminars. This is not unique to DepEd, this is also allowed in other government agencies,” Poa said.

(What is clear for both policies is that out-of-town training and seminars are allowed.)

"We’ll let you know once there is any decision made if there is a need to revisit our policy. Sa ngayon, wala pa po [so far, there is nothing],” he added.

The Schools Division Office (SDO) of Quezon City has reported that the mishap took place around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday when the DepEd Quezon City bus carrying 48 passengers, the driver and an alternate driver, traversed “a very sharp curve, lost its brakes and plunged into a 15-meter ravine.”

The passengers were Quezon City public elementary and secondary school teachers who came from the Sinagtala Resort in Orani, Bataan, where they attended a Gender and Development activity.

The SDO said a teacher of Payatas B Elementary School, Janice Pontillas, was declared dead on arrival at the Orani District Hospital due to the accident.

According to DepEd National Capital Region (NCR) director Wilfredo Cabral, 26 of the public school teachers who were injured in the bus accident had already gone back to their homes.

“Sa ngayon, ‘yung 26 na mga teachers na nasugatan ay nakauwi na at ang ating teacher na sa kasamaang palad, ay nasawi, ay nahatid na rin sa kanilang tahanan para sa burol,” Cabral said.

(Right now, the 26 teachers who were injured have returned home and our teacher who unfortunately died was brought home for her funeral.)

Orani, Bataan Police chief Police Major Larry Valencia said on Sunday said that the bus driver had been released from detention upon the decision of Pontillas’ husband.

Cabral said Pontillas’ family was not yet filing any charges against the driver. —NB, GMA News