MANILA — A week before voting day, the Department of Education on Monday gave a "stern warning" to teachers not to engage in electioneering and partisan politics.

In a statement, the DepEd reiterated that its personnel should not engage "in any electioneering and political partisan activities," which are also prohibited by Civil Service Commission and Commission on Elections rules.

"We call on our DepEd officials and personnel to uphold political neutrality in the government service and maintain professionalism in the discharge of their duties," it said.

A 2018 DepEd order lists such prohibited acts, which include forming groups that campaign for or against a candidate, publishing materials that express support or opposition to a candidate, and attending political meetings and caucuses, among others.

The DepEd said its election task force, headed by Undersecretary Alain Pascua, has also been "visiting across all regions and divisions to conduct briefings for our DepEd teachers and personnel, and warn them against electioneering and partisan politics."

Personnel will face "necessary administrative actions" should they fail to comply with the rules, the agency added.

The DepEd suspended classes in public schools from May 2 to 13 as more than 640,000 of its personnel are expected to serve in the May 9 elections.

• DepEd allows teachers not to report onsite May 2-13

Last month, the DepEd came under fire due to a learning module that negatively referenced presidential candidate Vice President Leni Robredo.

• DepEd draws flak over module making fun of Robredo
• DepEd nag-sorry dahil sa module na negatibo ang pagsasalarawan kay VP Leni

The agency has since apologized for the learning material, which it explained came from its Manila office. The module was produced in 2020 and its copies have already been retrieved.

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