A teacher whose TikTok video became the subject of a Department of Education investigation has apologized, a group of mentors said Monday as the viral clip spurred discussions on "potential child abuse."
The viral video that featured a male teacher who said he wanted to look "cute" for a good-looking student while doing a dance challenge was only meant for "fun," Benjo Basas, Teacher's Dignity Coalition national chairperson said.
“Naglabas na ng apology yung ating teacher po dito at sinabi niyang yon ay katuwaan lang," he said in a TeleRadyo interview.
"He’s man enough na tanggapin yung possible na pagkakamali sa kainyang ginawa," he said.
READ: Viral Teacher on TikTok Faces Probe for Suggesting Flirting with Student
The DepEd last week launched an investigation into the video and reminded teachers to maintain a safe and nurturing environment for students.
While there is no problem with an investigation, Basas said he feels hurt for teachers that DepEd quickly issued a statement on "potential child abuse" to the media.
"Medyo masakit lang sa amaing mga teacher na mayroon agad potential abuse," he said.
“Hindi po namin sinasabi na walang kasalanan yung teacher. Ang sabi nga namin baka mayroong kasalanan eh pero to establish yung kasalanan po na ito, kailangan pong imbestigahan," he said.
Basas said only results of the investigation would determine the character of a teacher in terms of reputation and cases.
"Yung imbestigasyon po ang magsasabi kung yung teacher ba talaga ay masamang tao, yung teacher ba talaga ay mayroong bad character, mayroong bad reputatation, may mga dati nang mga kaso. Kung wala naman po ibig sabihin eh malinis naman yung teacher," he said.
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