Raffy Tulfo is currently under fire for his latest episode on Raffy Tulfo in Action wherein he accommodated the grandmother and two parents of a child who was allegedly mistreated by his Grade 2 teacher for failing to surrender his report card.
As shown in the CCTV footage of the incident, the child was told to sit outside of the classroom for one whole period as punishment. The teacher, named Melita Limjuco, explained to Tulfo and the guardians that she only meant to teach the student a lesson. But the unconvinced guardians insisted on punishing Limjuco for the “humiliation” the child suffered.
“Ayaw ko namang ipakulong siya. Magpahinga na lang siya. Mawalan siya ng lisensiya (I don’t want to have her arrested. She should just rest and have her license revoked),” Rosemil Edroso, the mother, told Tulfo when asked what sort of punishment she wants the teacher to receive. The father of the student agreed.
Tulfo then proceeded to make a phone call to the teacher and presented her with two options: either bring the issue to court or revoke her license instead. Limjuco chose the latter after Tulfo “threatened” her that he will see to it that she would be put to jail for “child abuse”.
“Ikaw na kusa magresign sa iyong trabaho at maging sa PRC (Professional Regulation Commission), ilalakad namin at sasangayunan mo na ikaw ay matanggalan ng license o ilaban mo sa korte (Just volunteer to resign from your job and from the PRC. Cooperate with us in having your license revoked or fight us in court),” Tulfo told the teacher.
“Iyon na lang pong desisyon ng father at mother (I’ll go with the father and mother’s decision),” she replied.
This episode did not sit well with many netizens who aired out their opinions and frustrations on the matter online.
This led to hashtags “#JusticeForTeachers” and “#Tulfo” to trend on Twitter.
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“Wow, taking off her professional license in just 10 mins? in which she works hard for years, sacrifice her money and time just to be [removed] in less an hour without a legal process. it shows that Mr. Tulfo’s judgment is just to [satisfy] his viewers,” on Twitter user said.
“Sorry Mr. #Tulfo but this episode has gone too far. You have no right to decide to remove the license of the teacher,” another added.
“DepEd should be the one investigating this and not you. Where’s the part wherein you need to hear both sides [rather] than just listening to [the] parent’s side? It’s just so disappointing that you did not just put the blame [on] one teacher but thousands of teachers got affected by this episode. #justiceforteachers”
Another shared: “My God #Tulfo, pls filter the cases you’re trying to resolve. Oo nagkamali [siguro] ang teacher but you’re not in the position to expose it [on] TV. You’re putting the [teacher] in shame. Not that I’m protecting my co-teacher but there are legal procedures to that case.”
Some even pointed out that Tulfo violated Republic Act No. 4670 wherein it states “No publicity shall be given to any disciplinary action taken against a teacher during the pendency of his case.”
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In light of the backlash he received, Tulfo affirmed that Limjuco will no longer be sued. However, he claimed that the teacher must still be sanctioned and taught “maximum tolerance.”
The Department of Education also released an official statement regarding the issue on Saturday, November 23, which states that a proper deliberation to discuss concerns involving educators must be followed and respected.
“DepEd shall take care and protect both the learner and teacher through due process which is already existing at all levels of governance,” the department said. “Rest assured that this case is being handled by DepEd regional and division offices already through proper procedures according to applicable laws and policies (such as Child Protection Law and Magna Carta of Teachers).”
DepEd also asked netizens to stop spread photos and footage of the family, the student, and the teacher as doing so will have a “further impact on them and their families.”
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Watch the episode below:
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