MANILA, Philippines \u2014 Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla came under fire on Tuesday for using informal and colloquial language in announcing class suspensions via the official social media account of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).<\/p>\n
The post, written in a humorous tone, included phrases such as \u201cMga abangers, sarap ng bogchi ko. Sa kabusugan ay nakaidlip nang sandali. Oh, eto na inaabangan ninyo,\u201d which many online users and public figures called inappropriate, especially amid the ongoing flooding caused by the southwest monsoon.<\/p>\n
Several netizens criticized the statement for lacking empathy toward those affected by the calamity, with actor Jake Ejercito commenting, \u201cThere is a time and place for trying to be funny. This isn\u2019t one of them.\u201d Actress Jessy Mendiola also questioned the post\u2019s tone, asking, \u201cIs this supposed to be funny?\u201d<\/p>\n
Vice President Sara Duterte weighed in, reminding public officials to uphold professionalism when issuing announcements through official government channels.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe person has the freedom of expression, the institution does not,\u201d Duterte said in an interview from The Hague, where she is attending an international event.
\n\u201cIf it came from the DILG official account\u2026 they have to be professional.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the backlash, Remulla defended his approach, saying that using casual language has always been his way of connecting with the public, especially in his home province of Cavite.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey understood me in Cavite. I hope they understand me, too,\u201d he said in a dzMM radio interview.
\n\u201cIf I have to apologize for hurting their sensibilities, then I do offer it. But I will not change who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a separate interview with GMA’s Unang Balita, Remulla explained that his intention was to lighten the mood of official government communication, not to diminish the seriousness of the situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t curse, belittle, or insult anyone. A little humor never hurt anyone,\u201d he wrote in another Facebook post.
\n\u201cWhat I\u2019m doing is simply making reminders lighter so it\u2019s not always negative vibes that people hear.\u201d<\/p>\n
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed support for Remulla, saying what matters most is that critical information reaches the public.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as he gets the message across, that\u2019s what it\u2019s for,\u201d Marcos said during a press briefing in Washington, D.C.
\n\u201cPeople criticize me for the way I speak, criticize him for the way he speaks. But that\u2019s just the way he speaks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Teachers\u2019 Groups Reject Makeup Classes Amid Flood Disruptions
\nIn response to the recent class suspensions due to floods, the Department of Education (DepEd) is considering holding makeup classes to compensate for lost learning time.<\/p>\n
However, teacher organizations were quick to oppose the proposal.<\/p>\n
Vladimer Quetua, chairperson of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), argued that the current academic calendar already includes contingency days for emergencies.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe school calendar includes buffer days precisely for situations like these,\u201d Quetua said. \u201cMakeup classes are unnecessary at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead, Quetua urged the government to prioritize post-disaster recovery efforts and address the psychological and economic impacts on students and families.<\/p>\n
The Teachers\u2019 Dignity Coalition (TDC) also rejected the proposal, especially if it involves Saturday sessions.<\/p>\n
\u201cDepEd advocates for work-life balance and banned weekend homework,\u201d said TDC chairperson Benjo Basas.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s contradictory to now require weekend makeup classes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both groups emphasized the need for long-term solutions to climate-related disruptions in education, rather than short-term academic fixes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to address root causes like flooding and climate vulnerability,\u201d Quetua stressed, \u201cnot just patchwork adjustments every time disaster strikes.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MANILA, Philippines \u2014 Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla came under fire on Tuesday for using informal and colloquial language in announcing class suspensions via the official social media account of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). The post, written in a humorous tone, included phrases such as \u201cMga abangers, sarap ng bogchi ko. Sa kabusugan ay nakaidlip nang sandali. Oh, eto na inaabangan ninyo,\u201d which many online users and public figures called inappropriate, especially amid the ongoing flooding caused by the southwest monsoon. Several netizens criticized the statement for lacking empathy toward those affected by the calamity, with actor Jake Ejercito commenting, \u201cThere is a time and place for trying to be funny. This isn\u2019t one of them.\u201d Actress Jessy Mendiola also questioned the post\u2019s tone, asking, \u201cIs this supposed to be funny?\u201d Vice President Sara Duterte weighed in, reminding public officials to uphold professionalism when issuing announcements through official government channels. \u201cThe person has the freedom of expression, the institution does not,\u201d Duterte said in an interview from The Hague, where she is attending an international event. \u201cIf it came from the DILG official account\u2026 they have to be professional.\u201d Despite the backlash, Remulla defended his approach, saying that using casual language has always been his way of connecting with the public, especially in his home province of Cavite. \u201cThey understood me in Cavite. I hope they understand me, too,\u201d he said in a dzMM radio interview. \u201cIf I have to apologize for hurting their sensibilities, then I do offer it. But I will not change who I am.\u201d In a separate interview with GMA’s Unang Balita, Remulla explained that his intention was to lighten the mood of official government communication, not to diminish the seriousness of the situation. \u201cI didn\u2019t curse, belittle, or insult anyone. A little humor never hurt anyone,\u201d he wrote in another Facebook post. \u201cWhat I\u2019m doing is simply making reminders lighter so it\u2019s not always negative vibes that people hear.\u201d President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed support for Remulla, saying what matters most is that critical information reaches the public. \u201cAs long as he gets the message across, that\u2019s what it\u2019s for,\u201d Marcos said during a press briefing in Washington, D.C. \u201cPeople criticize me for the way I speak, criticize him for the way he speaks. But that\u2019s just the way he speaks.\u201d Teachers\u2019 Groups Reject Makeup Classes Amid Flood Disruptions In response to the recent class suspensions due to floods, the Department of Education (DepEd) is considering holding makeup classes to compensate for lost learning time. However, teacher organizations were quick to oppose the proposal. Vladimer Quetua, chairperson of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), argued that the current academic calendar already includes contingency days for emergencies. \u201cThe school calendar includes buffer days precisely for situations like these,\u201d Quetua said. \u201cMakeup classes are unnecessary at this point.\u201d Instead, Quetua urged the government to prioritize post-disaster recovery efforts and address the psychological and economic impacts on students and families. The Teachers\u2019 Dignity Coalition (TDC) also rejected the proposal, especially if it involves Saturday sessions. \u201cDepEd advocates for work-life balance and banned weekend homework,\u201d said TDC chairperson Benjo Basas. \u201cIt\u2019s contradictory to now require weekend makeup classes.\u201d Both groups emphasized the need for long-term solutions to climate-related disruptions in education, rather than short-term academic fixes. \u201cWe need to address root causes like flooding and climate vulnerability,\u201d Quetua stressed, \u201cnot just patchwork adjustments every time disaster strikes.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20956,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18301],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-state-of-the-nation"],"yoast_head":"\n