CITY COUNCIL DIVIDED OVER ANONYMOUS COMPLAINT AGAINTS ‘GO AND LEAD’ PROGRAM

December 8, 2024 Metro BLISTT

School Heads and DepEd-CAR Defend GO & LEAD Program Jackson Cayaos, Principal of Baguio Central School, and Danilo Gayao, Principal of Pines City National High School, both attended the forum and denied any knowledge of an entity named “We Remain” or the existence of the letter. Gayao and Cayaos confirmed that the SDO-Baguio initiated the program, but Go’s office helped coordinate with other stakeholders. He denied the claim that school heads had been forced to attend, emphasizing that they were “encouraged” and that their consent was sought before
participation.

He added that a commitment form had been signed by the school heads to indicate their agreement to participate, stressing that participation was not mandatory. They mentioned five modules covered over the five months: Leadership and Reflective Leadership; Data Driven Decision Making and School Management; Educational Technology; Benchmarking, Monitoring, and Evaluation; and Summary and Ongoing Monitoring. They also explained that the program was funded by the Australian Government and facilitated free of charge, with outputs tailored to improve school management and the employability of senior high students.

They said the GO & LEAD Program and the Khan Academy aim to enhance the quality of education and measure students’ capabilities in English, Science, and Math. He further stated that these innovations are part of a larger
effort to improve academic achievement in Baguio City which is recognized as one of the most effective divisions in
the DepEd-CAR. Cayaos said facing accusations or criticisms is “demoralizing,” especially when such issues are brought before the city council instead of being resolved within the DepEd organization.

Meanwhile, DepEd-CAR Regional Director Estela Leon Cariño confirmed the validity of the GO & LEAD Program
and the Khan Academy and clarified that DepEd-CAR had been informed about these programs, although the
information came after the program had already started. However, she stated that future projects could benefit from better communication and early involvement of relevant parties. Regarding grievances, Cariño explained that their
office requires a properly signed and notarized complaint to take action. She stated that the anonymous nature of the
complaint written under the name “We Remain” makes it challenging to pursue. Cariño emphasized that no action will be taken unless a formal letter is addressed to her personally as the Regional Director.

Election Law Clarified
In response to an inquiry from Councilor Fred Bagbagen regarding whether the issue constitutes partisan political
activity by indirectly supporting a particular candidate, COMELEC-Baguio Election Officer Atty. John Paul Martin clarified that such activity is only considered an offense during the campaign period which begins in March 2024 for local positions. Martin explained that, under election laws, individuals who have filed their Certificate of Candidacy (COC), including elected officials, are not yet regarded as “official candidates” before the campaign period. Consequently, civil service employees, including those under the Department of Education (DepEd), cannot be
classified as engaging in electioneering or partisan political activity before this time even if their actions might
appear partisan.

In line with Bagbagen’s argument that restricting partisan activities solely to the campaign period could create a
loophole that allows public officials and civil service employees to campaign prematurely, Martin clarified that civil service employees are prohibited from engaging in partisan activities at any time under the Omnibus Election
Code. He explained that civil service employees are held to a stricter standard due to the non-political nature of their roles. Elected officials, however, follow different guidelines that are tied to their status as official candidates and the designated campaign period. Acknowledging Bagbagen’s concern, Martin emphasized the need to distinguish between civil service employees and elected officials regarding what is permissible.

Addressing the concerns about whether the program might be considered a form of “politicking” considering that its title may be tied to Go’s name, Martin clarified that no electioneering or campaigning took place as the program was
not part of an electoral campaign and no political activities related to the upcoming elections were involved. Councilor Arthur Allad-iw said there are “gray areas” in this situation and inquired about the possible legal
consequences if any election law violations are proven. Martin said that if a civil service employee is found to be guilty of engaging in electioneering, this could be considered an election offense under the omnibus Election Code. Martin also acknowledged that other laws such as Republic Act No. 6713 could apply if there is evidence of wrongdoing by public officials and employees.

OIC SDS Faculo Responds

Despite her absence from the November 27 forum with the city council due to a prior commitment, Faculo responded to the allegations made by the sender. In her letter to the city council, Faculo questioned which specific claims are relevant to legislation, asserting that the allegations should have been validated by the committee level of the city council or referred to proper agencies such as the DepEd or the Civil Service Commision (CSC). Faculo explained that the GO & LEAD Program followed the required processes including validation by the DepEd’s Learning and Development System, the CSC, and the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC), and that it was vetted by multiple bodies such as the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Philippine Business for Education.

The OIC SDS dismissed the claim that participants had been forced to join as the program adhered to proper procedures. She further clarified that the GRACE PASS, a key component of the GO & LEAD Program, was used to gather baseline data for school improvement, particularly in addressing student learning gaps in subjects like Math, English, and Science and that the DepEd lacks the capacity to provide such per-student data. Furthermore, Faculo highlighted the various partnerships that the DepEd-Baguio had established with organizations and businesses to address learning poverty and resource constraints in public schools, emphasizing that no project from institutions or individuals had been rejected since DepEd-Baguio welcomes initiatives to improve the learning environment.

She confirmed that the DepEd-Baguio is implementing the Khan Academy pilot program in collaboration with other divisions and stressed that this initiative aligns with the MATATAG Curriculum to address the literacy and numeracy
gaps. Faculo also denied the claim that there are secretaries who she controls as her personal assistants, clarifying that administrative assistants manage a large volume of work to support 67 public and 90 private schools. Additionally, she defended her staff’s dedication and called for concerns to be addressed through proper DepEd procedures. She provided the city council members with the latest compendium of the DepEd Baguio’s actions and decisions to support her leadership and to clarify the issues raised in the complaint letter.

City Councilor’s Action
Upon Bagbagen’s motion, the city council referred the matter to a committee for further study and recommendation, as well as to DepEd-CAR, given that it is the disciplining authority in this case. Likewise, the city council approved
Yaranon’s motion to task the appropriate committee with addressing the issue of whether to entertain unsigned letters. She noted that the city council may be spending too much time on such letters and emphasized the need for a formal decision on whether these complaints should be accepted.

SP/Jordan G. Habbiling