BAGUIO CITY — The Schools Division of the Department of Education in Kalinga has launched an investigation on a viral video where a teacher was physically abusing her students.

The video — which is still circulating on social media — showed that the teacher was hitting a student who was standing in front of the blackboard in a classroom in a school in Kalinga. The said video was posted and was shared multiple times and gained public outcry.

"The Department of Education, Schools Division of Kalinga, as a learner institution committed to protect the right of every Filipino, does not tolerate any form of abuse towards children," said the DepEd Kalinga.

The agency added that it has sent representatives from the DepEd Kalinga Child Protection Policy to the place of incident to verify the issue.

DepEd Kalinga vowed that the result of their investigation will be forwarded to the Regional Office of the DepEd Cordillera for appropriate actions and reminded teachers and non-teaching personnel to observe highest ethical and professional standards at all times.

"Teachers, as public servants, must always maintain a safe and nurturing environment for students, free of physical, verbal, and other forms of abuse and discrimination. As we celebrate the Teachers' Month, DepEd continuously strengthen its policies and capacity — building activities to further promote our advocacy of protecting our learners against any form of abuse," said the DepEd.