Rhelyn Harder
- A teacher posted on social media that they were using a comfort room (CR) of the school as their faculty room
- The principal clarifies that the teachers were offered the use of the library, conference, and social hall but the teachers instead chose the bathroom
- The principal was already preparing for an administrative case, cyber-libel, and destruction of government property against Herrera
One school in Bacoor, Cavite recently went viral after a teacher exposed on social media that they were using a comfort room (CR) of the school as their faculty room. Now, the principal of the school plans on filing a case against the teacher.
A teacher at Bacoor National High School named Maricel Herrera posted some photos on her Facebook account of a comfort room that they now used as an office.
According to Herrera, teachers had no choice but to use the CR as their faculty room after their original faculty room was made into an additional classroom.
But according to the school Principal Anita Rom, she did not give them orders that they should use the CR as their faculty room. She had offered the library, conference room, and social hall (which can accommodate up to 700 people) for the teachers to use so she could not understand why they would choose to use a bathroom instead.
Now, the principal is preparing to file a case against Herrera for administrative, cyber libel, and destruction of government property charges.
Because of her Facebook post, the principal received negative comments from the public.
“Ang sinira ay hindi lang imahe ng Bacoor National High School kundi buong imahe ng DepEd (Department of Education),” the principal said.
Principal Rom has ordered the teachers to vacate the comfort rooms and instead use the social hall as their faculty room.
For her part, Herrera said that she has no intentions to destroy the image of the school.
Around 11 teachers try to fit in the comfort room that they turned into a faculty room. The teachers also used their own money to fix up the makeshift faculty room.
At another building, 20 science teachers use one side of the hallway near the bathroom as their improvised faculty room.
“Hindi ho kami pinilit pumunta dito pero wala kaming choice na puntahan kasi wala kaming pupuntahan,” Corazon Ber Ardo, one of the Science teachers said.
Meanwhile, Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Briones said she has already looked into the issue. “They could hold office in the laboratory rooms but of course it is more dramatic, it is more touching if you hold it in the toilets,” Briones said. Briones’ words could indicate that the teachers’ use of the bathrooms was a deliberate move to elicit sympathy from the public.
Netizens shared their mixed reactions about the issue on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/jjpsda/status/1135999591453777921
What’s wrong with the truth? Why punish someone who’s after the well being of the teachers? Anong image ang sinasabi niya? The principal should be held responsible for the teachers’ horrible working conditions! https://t.co/B6KnL5joVu
— Lem Untivero (@lemuntivero) June 5, 2019
Teka lang ah! I don't think this is fair! Why punish? Eh totoo namang this is the sad truth and reflection of how lacking our classrooms are and so more worse…. https://t.co/wXAyxfhTn4
— camille fesalbon (@BhemssiPZ) June 5, 2019
https://twitter.com/VhieCaval/status/1136138591577313280
https://twitter.com/TheMuslimGayGuy/status/1136108147188256769
