Palace Press Officer Claire Castro clarified Wednesday that she was not blaming teachers for the deadly shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga University, saying her remarks were meant to emphasize their role in shaping students’ values and behavior.
Speaking at a press briefing, Castro said she was merely reminding teachers of their responsibility as “second parents” to students and maintained that her comments were taken out of context.
“Unang-una ay wala po tayong sinisisi na mga guro. Ito ay pagpapaalala sa ating mga kagalang-galang na guro kung ano po ang kanilang malaking role bilang taga-hubog ng magandang kaugalian lalong-lalo na sa mga kabataan,” Castro said.
She made the clarification after the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) condemned her earlier remarks as a “reckless and insulting tirade” over comments on the influence of teachers on students and school culture following the August 18 shooting.
Castro explained that her remarks also referred to other incidents involving students and teachers, including instances where allegedly insulting language was used.
She also cited a video allegedly made by a teacher in which students were taught insulting words, but declined to identify the teacher or school involved.
“Ito ay patungkol sa nangyari sa naganap sa Davao City kung saan may mga estudyante mismo, may mga sinasabi habang nandodoon ang Pangulo. Mahirap banggitin ‘yung words. Hindi katanggap-tanggap para mga kabataan ang magsalita ng ganito,” she said, adding that such language was inappropriate for young people.
“Isa po itong video na gawa ng isang guro. Hindi na po namin babanggitin kung sino po ito at kung anong paaralan. Dito po, mismong estudyante niya ang tinuruan niya ng mga salitang mapang-insulto,” she said, showing a screenshot of the said video.
Castro reiterated that she respects teachers and would not intentionally offend them, citing her late mother, who was a public school teacher.
“Hindi ko po kailanman hindi bibigyang-galang ang mga guro, dahil ang aking ina, hindi pa po ako pinapanganak, ay isang public school teacher sa Malolos,” she said.
The PCO official urged teachers not to take her remarks personally, stressing that they were intended only as a reminder of their role in molding young people.
“Nais lamang po nating iparating sa mga guro na hindi po kayo lahat. Hindi po kailanman natin sisisihin ang mga guro, ito ay isang paalala lamang,” she said.
At a press briefing on Tuesday, Castro said there had been instances in which some teachers themselves allegedly failed to uphold proper conduct, including teaching students to be disrespectful toward elders and other people.
“Minsan na po natin nakita, mismo ang ibang mga guro ay lumalabag sa ganitong klase ng moralidad,” she said.
“Sila minsan ay nagtuturo sa kanilang mga estudyante kung papaano maging walang modo, lalong-lalo na sa mga nakakatanda o sa mga ibang tao,” she added.
Castro also declined to apologize for her remarks, saying she did not believe an apology was necessary because she never intended to assign blame to the teaching profession.
“Siguro po ang dapat na magbigay ng paumanhin ay yung nagbigay ng maling konteksto sa ating sinabi,“ she said.
