School hours, happy hour?
A photograph reportedly showing teachers drinking alcoholic beverages inside a school in Dagami, Leyte has triggered an uncomfortable question that government offices across Eastern Visayas should be asking more seriously: When did drinking during working hours become something that can simply be brushed aside as “normal”?
The photograph, which has circulated publicly, appears to show several individuals believed to be teachers drinking inside what appears to be a school office.
The identities of those pictured, the exact date and time the photograph was taken, and the circumstances surrounding the gathering should be established by the Department of Education (DepEd) before any administrative conclusion is made.
But if the photograph was indeed taken during official working hours and inside a school office, there is little ambiguity about the governing rule.
The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has expressly prohibited government officials and employees from consuming alcoholic beverages in the workplace during office hours.
Under CSC Resolution No. 1100039 and Memorandum Circular No. 4, s. 2011, the prohibition covers beer, wine and other intoxicating liquor.
The CSC has said that the mere act of drinking alcohol in the workplace during office hours, or reporting for work under its influence, may constitute an administrative offense.
The rule is not suspended simply because the workplace happens to be a school.
In fact, teachers are held to an additional professional standard.
The Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers, adopted through Board for Professional Teachers Resolution No. 435, s. 1997, says teachers are expected to possess dignity and high moral values.
It further calls on teachers to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of emulation by learners, peers and the community.
DepEd's own security protocols make the expectation even more explicit.
A 2026 reiteration of security protocols issued by the Baybay City Schools Division states that drinking and smoking are strictly prohibited in and around school or office premises.
This is not merely about alcohol. It is about the meaning of public service.
A school is not an ordinary workplace. It is where children are taught discipline, responsibility and respect for rules.
Teachers are not merely employees occupying government-paid positions; they are adults whom children are expected to look up to.
That makes a drinking session inside a school office during work hours particularly troubling.
More disturbing is the possibility that such conduct is being normalized in government workplaces across Eastern Visayas.
The region has seen other incidents involving government personnel and alcohol.
In December 2025, 17 police personnel in Eastern Samar were relieved from their posts after an alleged drinking spree inside a police station while on duty.
The incident prompted an investigation by Police Regional Office 8.
The episode was especially alarming because a police station, like a school, is supposed to remain a functioning public institution.
Officers are expected to be ready to respond to emergencies, not to be drinking inside their workplace.
The concern is not unique to Eastern Visayas.
Courts and administrative bodies have likewise dealt with cases involving government personnel drinking during office hours.
In one Supreme Court administrative case involving court employees, the record included allegations of drinking sprees with court personnel during office hours.
These incidents should not be treated as harmless workplace bonding.
The CSC has repeatedly reminded government workers that professionalism does not disappear during celebrations.
In its 2023 reminder, the commission stressed that even office Christmas parties must not become occasions for alcohol consumption in government offices during office hours.
Violations may lead to disciplinary action, including suspension for a first offense and dismissal for a second offense under the applicable rules.
There is a difference between enjoying a drink on one's own time and drinking inside a government workplace while being paid to work.
The first is a private choice. The second is a public-service issue.
If the Dagami photograph proves to have been taken during official working hours, the proper response should not be another shrug, a joke or an appeal to tradition.
DepEd should determine what happened, establish who was involved, verify whether classes or official duties were affected, and apply the appropriate rules without fear or favor.
Eastern Visayas does not need a culture where government offices become social drinking areas whenever supervisors look away.
Public service requires boundaries.
A school office should be a place for lesson plans, learner concerns, records and public service, not a drinking table.
And if the rule is already clear, perhaps what needs fixing is no longer the rule.
It is the culture of tolerating its violation.
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