Why Duterte sought NBI's help on PHSA abuse allegations
Vice President and Department of Education (DepEd) Sara Duterte sought the help of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) regarding the allegations of harassment and abuse at the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) to ensure impartial findings.

“Hindi na po kami nag-imbestiga within the DepEd Central Office dahil I would expect na merong biases na mangyayari diyan dahil meron sa loob ng institution ang gumagawa ng imbestigasyon (We no longer conducted an investigation within the DepEd Central Office because I would expect that there are biases that will happen there because someone inside the institution is doing the investigation),” Duterte said in an interview on Thursday, July 14.
Duterte deemed that the investigation would be better handled by a third-party agency such as the NBI since it is outside of the DepEd.
She also requested the investigation body to provide a comprehensive report on the issue at the soonest possible time.
In her letter to NBI, Duterte asked for the agency’s assistance in reviewing the reports of emotional, verbal, and sexual abuse allegations at the PHSA.
“We also told them that we need the result of their investigation and their recommendations as soon as possible,” she added.
However, in a statement issued July 12, DepEd said it also tapped the Child Protection Unit (CPU) and Child Rights in Education Desk (CREDe) to “conduct a similar investigation in relation with the agency’s Child Protection Policy.”
An attached agency of the DepEd, PHSA is the country’s premier art school located in Los Baños, Laguna.
READ:
Following the allegations of abuse, DepEd said that it is “currently reviewing” the school’s existing policies and strengthening its internal mechanisms to ensure the safety of the students inside the premises of the institution in coordination with the PHSA Administration.
RELATED STORY: