Herrera backs probe of ‘sex abuse’ in PHSA
A LAWMAKER has expressed her full support to the investigation called by Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte on reports of alleged abuses in the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) in Los Baños, Laguna.
“We fully support the call by Vice President Duterte for a deep probe into reports of what appears to be a disturbing culture in the PHSA,” Bagong Henerasyon (BH) Party-list Representative Bernadette Herrera said.
Duterte had earlier requested the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to provide a comprehensive report on allegations of sexual, verbal, and emotional abuse suffered by generations of PHSA students.
A Department of Education (DepEd) team has also been sent to PHSA to look into the matter directly.
PHSA is the country’s premier high school for young artists.
Herrera said she was saddened to hear that “such forms of abuse took place where children are expected to be safe.”
“No educational institution in this country should ever be an environment where young people feel unsafe, let alone somewhere that any form of abuse can take place,” she pointed out.
PHSA has been under fire following the release of a report by Vice World News on the abuses suffered by students at the hands of teachers and staff.
The report also mentioned that the complaints from “generations of abused students” have been ignored by school authorities.
Herrera said those responsible for these “sickening acts” must be held accountable.
She also expressed hope that the PHSA controversy will result in better policies for ensuring the safety and protection of students in schools.
