MISLEADING: VP Sara established LRPO and TeleSafe

A Facebook post claims that former DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte established the Learner Rights & Protection Office (LRPO) and the Learners TeleSafe Contact Center to protect learners from Kindergarten to Grade 12. 

CLAIM:

During Sara Duterte’s tenure as DepEd Secretary, she established the Learner Rights & Protection Office (LRPO) and the TeleSafe Contact Center.

RATING: MISLEADING

CONCLUSION:

The claim is misleading because the LRPO’s predecessor was established before Duterte became DepEd Secretary. While Duterte launched the LRPO and TeleSafe in 2022, launching an office or service does not mean she established it. 

THE FACTS:

• The Child Protection Unit (CPU) was established through DepEd Order No. 3, s. 2021, dated January 15, 2021. The CPU was later renamed the Learner Rights and Protection Office (LRPO).
• Duterte launched the LRPO and TeleSafe in 2022. DepEd records show that she launched the Learner Protection Office and Learners TeleSafe Contact Center Helpline on November 24, 2022.
• Launching is different from establishing. Duterte’s role was to launch the LRPO and TeleSafe, while the child-protection mechanism behind the LRPO had already been established in 2021.

THE BOTTOMLINE:

Duterte launched the LRPO and TeleSafe in 2022, but the child protection office from which the LRPO developed was established before her tenure. Therefore, claiming that she “established” both is misleading, as she launched the initiatives but did not create the office itself.