The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines has issued a strong call on the Department of Education (DepEd) and Secretary Sonny Angara to immediately terminate partnerships with Israel, warning that such ties risk legitimizing what the group describes as ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people.
In a statement released Friday, ACT condemned DepEd’s recent inauguration of a Digital Learning Resource Center in Manila in cooperation with Israeli representatives.
The teachers’ alliance argued that the move is “morally indefensible and profoundly insensitive” at a time when the world is witnessing the devastation of Gaza’s schools, universities, and communities under Israeli military assault.
“At a time when the world is witnessing Israel’s continuing genocide in Gaza, the destruction of Palestinian schools and universities, and the systematic targeting of children, educators, and civilian communities, DepEd’s decision to welcome and celebrate with Israeli representatives is both morally indefensible and profoundly insensitive,” ACT said.
“We urge Filipino educators to stand on the side of justice, human rights, and international solidarity—not on the side of occupation, apartheid, and genocide,” ACT declared.
The group emphasized that Israel’s public diplomacy campaigns cannot obscure the destruction of Palestinian education infrastructure, which has left hundreds of thousands of students without classrooms and entire generations deprived of their right to learn.
ACT noted that tens of thousands of children in Gaza have been killed, maimed, or displaced, underscoring what it described as a deliberate assault on Palestinian identity and future.
ACT’s statement situates DepEd’s partnership within a broader global debate over academic and institutional cooperation with Israel. Around the world, universities, unions, and civil society organizations have rejected collaborations that they believe normalize occupation and settler-colonialism.
The teachers’ alliance stressed that educators have a duty to uphold truth and humanity, and that solidarity with Palestinians is integral to defending the universal right to education.
“We cannot celebrate so-called child-friendly learning hubs while children in Gaza are denied not only classrooms but also safety, shelter, food, water, and even the right to live,” ACT said. # (RRN)
