A principal in Antique has been stripped of her position after sparking outrage for ordering students to take off their togas during their graduation ceremony, Malacañang confirmed Friday.
“Ang sinasabi pong guro ay tinanggal na po bilang principal sa nasabing eskwelahan,” Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said, clarifying that while she lost her post, her teaching license remains unaffected. “Tinanggal lamang po siya sa pagiging principal, ‘yung license naman po niya ay di naman manggagaling sa paguutos ng Pangulo o DepEd Secretary,” she added.
The incident came under fire as the Department of Education stressed there was no rule against wearing togas during ceremonies. “There is no prohibition” under current DepEd policies, it pointed out, saying students may wear casual or formal attire, or their school uniform, and that togas or sablays are welcome as optional garments.
The Schools Division of Antique has started an internal investigation and demanded a full incident report from the school officials involved, along with plans for appropriate corrective actions.
