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| INTERRUPTED SPEECH: KRISTEL MALLARI |
'Halimbawa, totoo. Where do you say that? Do you say that in
a graduation? May issues din yun,' the education secretary tells Rappler.
MANILA,
Philippines – After the video of salutatorian Krisel Mallari’s speech went
viral, the Department of Education (DepEd) questioned whether the graduation
was the right forum for the student to "express freely" her thoughts
and issues against the school.
"Halimbawa,
totoo. Where do you
say that? Do you say that in a graduation? Mayissues din yun. Because some issues cannot be
resolved…maybe [it was] the right issue in the wrong forum," Education
Secretary Armin Luistro told Rappler on Tuesday, March 24.
(For example, the allegations are true. Where
do you say that? Do you say that in a graduation? That's also an issue. Because
some issues cannot be resolved…maybe [it was] the right issue in the wrong
forum.)
The secretary said airing the grievances during
graduation does not give the school a chance to answer back. (READ: Girl interrupted: School
officials cut salutatorian's speech)
"Sa Pilipinas
naman, bawa't isa may karapatan na magsalita ng kanyang saloobin, pero yung
kanyang inaakusahan, may karapatan din yun na sumagot. Eh kung sa graduation
speech mo, walang karapatan yung kabila na sumagot," he added.
(In the Philippines, everyone has the right
to air grievances, but the other party also has the right to reply. If you talk
about it in your graduation speech, the other party can't answer back.)
QC school speaks up
Mallari, who was assigned to deliver the
"welcome remarks" during the graduation of Sto Niño Parochial School
in Quezon City, was not able to finish her speech which hinted at her school’s
lack of fairness.
"Sa pagtatapos
ng school year na ito’y, isang hakbang na lang ang layo ko sa finish line,
nguni't sa pagdating ko rito’y naglaho ang pulang tali na sisimbolo sana sa
aking tagumpay, naglaho nga ba o sadyang kinuha?" Mallari
said.
(As the school year ends, I’m only a step
away from the finish line. But upon arriving here, the finish line symbolizing
my success vanished. Did it really vanish or was it taken away?)
Mallari admitted the speech she delivered on
stage was different from the one approved by the school.
In its official statement,
the school said it is their policy to approve all speeches, and Mallari knew
she would not be permitted to deliver hers if she veered away from the approved
one.
The school also denied reports they did not
show Mallari’s grade computation, and alleged her father wanted a copy of the
grades of the valedictorian, which was against school policy.
Censorship vs setting parameters
Luistro said the central office's legal team
will coordinate with DepEd-National Capital Region and the Quezon City schools
division office to investigate the matter.
The inquiry will look into allegations about
the school’s grade computation, and whether the school "acted within or
beyond its authority" when officials cut Mallari’s speech.
The department has yet to determine also
whether what happened was censorship or just a case of the school "setting
parameters."
"In schools,
okay naman din yun that you set parameters, pero iba naman yun – treading the
line between the parameters of what you can say and how long will you speak versus
censorship na ba yan, ibang matter na yan," he said.
(In schools, it's okay to set parameters, but
it's different – treading the line between the parameters of what you can say and
how long will you speak versus censorship, that's a different matter.)
Luistro said the investigation could take a
week or two to a month. – Rappler.com
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