The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), a militant teachers’ union, has suffered a blow after the Court of Appeals (CA) denied its petition to stop the Philippine National Police (PNP) from obtaining lists of its members who are working in private and public schools.
The CA’s decision was announced in a resolution dated Feb. 4 but was made public only today, GMA News reported.
Last month, the ACT secretary-general Raymond Basilio alleged that members of the PNP have been visiting schools all over the country to ask for lists of their group’s members and their allies.
The group alleged that the PNP requested various schools in the National Capital Region, Rizal, Quezon, Calapan City, Sorsogon, Camarines Sur, Negros, Agusan del Sur, and Cagayan de Oro City to provide them with lists of their members.
The ACT gave copies to the media last month of what were believed to be memos from the PNP that allegedly instructed cops to obtain lists of their group’s members from schools. PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde denied that he ordered his men to conduct the alleged profiling but he said that the practice was not illegal.
GMA News reported that the ACT asked the CA to issue a temporary restraining order or a writ of preliminary injunction against the PNP because their alleged profiling is a violation of its members’ freedom of association, expression, and self-organization. The group also said that the PNP is breaking the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
However, Associate Justice Nina G. Antonio-Valenzuela said that the CA junked their petition because the ACT allegedly failed to submit certified true copies of the alleged memos from the PNP which instructed its officers to obtain lists members.
The CA also said that the ACT failed to specify the dates of when they obtained copies of the PNP’s memos, Manila Bulletin reported.
At the same time, the CA called out the ACT’s failure to present the date of issuance of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Membership Number of their lawyers as well as the date of issuance of their Professional Tax Number.
The ACT was represented by the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers when they filed their petition at the CA, reported the Philippine Star.
Associate Justices Ricardo Rosario and Perpetua Atal-Paño agreed with Valenzuela’s ruling.
However, the group can file a motion for reconsideration at the CA.
The ACT defended itself from the PNP last month by saying it is a “legitimate teachers’ organization with a long history of service to professional teachers, education support personnel, and the Filipino people in general.”
The ACT added that they are recognized by the Civil Service Commission, the Department of Education, and the Department of Labor and Employment.
The Commission on Human Rights called the alleged profiling “alarming.”
