The TRUTH ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES SCHOOL SYSTEM - What Really Goes On?

Pea hosts a panel of five 20-21-year-old Filipina college students (Ara, Katherine, Felicia, Celine, and Kate) who have just lived through the Philippine education system and share firsthand accounts of corporal punishment, strict dress codes, bizarre rules about public displays of affection, and teacher-student relationships. This is Part 1 of a two-part series, with Part 2 covering bribery and tuition costs.

The Philippine education timeline is grueling: 18 total years of schooling ​

• Daycare + kindergarten: 2 years
• Elementary: 6 years (Grades 1-6)
• High school: 6 years under the K-12 system introduced during the Duterte administration — 4 years junior high + 2 years senior high
• Pea notes that during her time, high school was only 4 years
• Senior high serves as college preparation, which shortened some degree programs (accountancy went from 5 years to 4)
• College: at least 4 years for a bachelor's degree, depending on the course

Strict uniform and appearance requirements with zero flexibility ​

• Both public and private schools require prescribed uniforms — white blouse with skirt for girls
• Students must pay for their own uniforms whether public or private; public school students hire a tailor
• Catholic school uniforms are especially restrictive: Pea wore long sleeves and a long skirt in college, which was "bloody hot"
• Boys' hair must be kept extremely short — anything over roughly one inch gets cut
• Teachers stand at the school gate doing hair inspections; there's often a secondary inspection room inside
• Teachers cut boys' hair right there, often leaving visible bald spots, in front of other students
• Boys have no choice — "it's a rule" — and this happens primarily in high school but even extends into college
• Hair coloring is absolutely forbidden for both genders, any color — the expectation is natural black hair only
• Students can only color their hair during summer break when school is out
• Celine's parents threatened to kick her out of the house if she colored her hair
• Earrings: boys are completely banned from wearing them; guards force removal at the gate
• Girls are allowed exactly one pair of piercings — multiple piercings cause problems
• Tattoos are prohibited and carry heavy social stigma; in the provinces, a girl with a tattoo is assumed to be a prostitute or drug user
• Parents may disown children for getting tattoos — "You have to build your own house if you want a tattoo"

Corporal punishment in elementary school was widespread and creative ​

• Katherine: teachers would check nails and cut long ones (believed to indicate dirtiness); students were made to squat while holding books on their heads as punishment for being noisy — sitting on air with arms extended holding books, in elementary school
• Felicia: a teacher threw an eraser at her head in grade 4 for spacing out/daydreaming; other teachers threw crumpled paper balls at inattentive students
• Teachers used sticks both as teaching pointers and to physically hit noisy students
• Monday nail inspections were standard — students had to display their hands, and long nails meant a ruler strike

Celine's teacher locked 30 children in a dark classroom and left ​

• In grade 2, the class was misbehaving, so the teacher lost patience, locked the classroom door from outside, and went home
• Around 30 children were trapped inside for over 2 hours
• It was dark outside the room; children were crying
• Celine's mother found her crying and learned what happened
• Pea points out this is child endangerment — what if a child had a medical emergency?
• The teacher faced zero consequences; "the punishment was for the kids"

Corporal punishment is declining but not gone ​

• The panelists believe it's "not much" happening anymore due to children's rights policies
• Teachers now face punishment themselves if they use corporal methods
• But the cultural memory is very recent — these women are only 20-21

Public displays of affection are forbidden on school grounds ​

• Holding hands with a boyfriend inside school premises: not allowed
• Getting caught means being sent to the guidance counselor's office for "a very long sermon"
• Kissing is absolutely forbidden
• The panelists say the school's logic is essentially that kissing and holding hands "will automatically pop a baby"
• Pea's reaction: "You guys have to get your money back — this is really really bad"
• Students never questioned the rules — "If you asked, they called you... you just follow the rules"
• The rules are "known" rather than always formally written in a student handbook
• Couples have to go to private, hidden spots away from both school and home to show any affection

Teacher-student sexual relationships happen despite being illegal ​

• Every panelist confirmed knowledge of teacher-student relationships, primarily in high school
• Surprisingly, the cases they knew about involved female teachers with male students (not the stereotypical male teacher/female student)
• The relationships become known through gossip — "the national sport of the Philippines" — and through photos
• Despite being reported to authorities in some cases, consequences are rare
• The panelists describe a "bahala na" (whatever happens, happens) attitude where teachers know it's illegal but do it anyway, and the system often looks the other way

The video ends with a comedy skit ​

• A parody of the Apollo 13 "Houston, we have a problem" scene where mission control is staffed by a Filipino
• The Filipino operator dismisses every emergency with classic Filipino cultural responses: going to lunch, suggesting they stop overthinking, telling them to "just relax and enjoy the view — bahala na"
• Requires a 20-peso fee paid in cash and in person before any assistance form can be processed
• The astronauts accept their fate: "Gentlemen, it's been a privilege flying with you"

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