𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐚 𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞

𝐵𝑦 𝑆𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑦 𝑉𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑟

𝑆𝑆𝑇-𝐼𝐼𝐼, 𝐶𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑥𝑡𝑜 𝐷. 𝑀𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑜𝑙𝑎 𝑁𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝐻𝑖𝑔ℎ 𝑆𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙

𝐴𝑔𝑢𝑠𝑎𝑛 𝑑𝑒𝑙 𝑁𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑒 𝐷𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛

𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁'𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 — 𝗮 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸, 𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗛𝗼𝘄𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿, 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲, 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻.

During the April 15, 2025 graduation ceremony at Col. Ruperto Abellon National School in Laua-an, the school principal ordered the learners to remove their already worn togas. This abrupt decision caused disappointment and embarrassment among students and parents alike on what was meant to be a day of triumph. Amid the confusion, a concerned teacher bravely went on stage to defend the wearing of togas, standing up for the students’ dignity. The incident, captured on video, quickly circulated online and drew widespread criticism toward the principal.

The situation eventually reached the Department of Education, prompting an official statement on April 17, 2025. The DepEd clarified that wearing togas does not violate any existing DepEd policy, citing DepEd Memorandum No. 27, s. 2025, and DepEd Order No. 009, s. 2023, which affirm that togas may be worn as optional and supplementary garment during graduation ceremonies. A further investigation into the incident was subsequently initiated.

Leadership, as Rosari (2019) describes, is a dynamic relationship of influence between leaders and followers, driven by a shared intention to create meaningful change aligned with their common goals.

In light of this incident, school leaders are reminded of the powerful impact of their actions and decisions. Leadership is not simply about exercising authority; it is about inspiring, guiding, and building a community founded on respect and shared values, as Rost (2008) emphasizes.

This event highlights the need for school leaders to maintain open communication with their teachers and to stay well-informed about DepEd policies. It underscores the importance of making decisions grounded in clear guidelines to avoid unnecessary conflict and misunderstanding.

Ultimately, both school heads and teachers are called to consistently uphold the highest standards of professionalism, compassion, and respect, as emphasized by the Department of Education and enshrined in the Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers under Board for Professional Teachers Resolution No. 435, Series of 1997.

References:

Rosari, R. (2019). Leadership definitions: Applications for lecturers’ leadership development. Journal of Leadership in Organizations, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.22146/jlo.42965

Rost, J. C. (2008). Leadership: The key concepts. Routledge.