PETITION TO REMOVE FOR CAUSE REV DR BRIAN SHAH FROM HIS POST AS PRESIDENT OF SAVIOUR’S CHRISTIAN ACADEMY AND TO CAUSE HIS LEAVING THE PHILIPPINES IMMEDIATELY 

 

We, the Ilokano and non-Ilokano peoples, in the Ilocos, in the Philippines, and in the diaspora, are appalled by the injustice perpetrated by Rev. Dr. Brian Shah against three Ilokano students of Saviour’s Christian Academy in Laoag City, Philippines.

 

We are signing this PETITION in support of these students, in support of the need to preserve and promote the languages of the Philippines, and in support of the institution of Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education in the country as enshrined in the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, otherwise known as Republic Act No. 10533. Even more importantly, we are of our own free will signing this PETITION to repel those who seek to infringe on or deny our right to speak Ilokano, our very own language.

 

When Kleinee Bautista, Carl Andrew Abadilla, and Samuel Respicio were reportedly observed to be speaking in their own Ilokano language inside Saviour’s Christian Academy, Rev. Dr. Shah reportedly advised them that they were violating school policy and subseqently expelled them without due process.

 

In light of the educational policy of the Philippine government on mother tongue-based multilingual education, and in recognition of the basic human rights of the students, the dismissal of the three students from Saviour’s Christian Academy as ordered by Rev. Dr. Brian Shah constitutes not only discrimination, but also wanton violation of the students’ linguistic, cultural, and educational rights. Not only are there Philippine laws protecting these rights but there also exist governing international covenants of which the Philippines is a signatory.

 

What Rev. Dr. Shah accomplished in this incident is contrary to the mission statement of his school. His action not only demeans individuals but communities as well, especially the Ilokano communities all over the Philippines in particular and around the world in general.

 

What we envision in the conscious, critical, and committed use of our own native languages is an education that not only informs but builds character as well.

 

Rev. Dr. Shah’s act demonstrates his incompetence to understand the human condition, his insensitivity, callousness and colonial mindset, and uncaring attitude towards the people of the Philippines. He does not educate; instead, he traumatizes young students and their young minds.

 

By expelling Kleinee Bautista, Carl Andrew Abadilla, and Samuel Respicio because they spoke Ilokano, their native tongue, Rev. Dr. Shah has not only violated the students’ basic rights, but has also demeaned the very Ilokano community from which these students come. This is the same community that has supported his school through the years.

 

As a person of the cloth, Rev. Dr. Shah has seriously eroded our faith in his ability to understand the history of the Savior he professes to believe in, the Savior who valued his people’s language, the Savior who spoke in the language of his people.

 

It is for this reason that we do not see SCA’s overarching need for Rev. Dr. Brian Shah’s services and his insensitivity to his students’ use of their mother tongue.

 

Wherefore, we do hereby petition the immediate severance of the Rev. Dr. Brian Shah in any capacity from his post as President of Saviour's Christian Academy, Laoag City. 

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