Sexual Harassment Defined
Sexual harassment is unwanted, unwelcome, uninvited behavior of a sexual nature or inappropriate sexual advances or offensive remark about a person’s sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
It is an act, which may be committed physically, verbally, or visually with or without the use of information communication technology.
Sexual harassment may be a demand or request for a sexual favor by a person of authority, influence or moral ascendancy in exchange for appointments, grants, grades or favors, or set as terms and conditions for appointments, grants, grades or favors regardless of whether such act or series of acts are accepted by the offended party.
It may be committed inside UP premises; or outside UP premises in a work, education, research, extension, or related activity.
Sexual harassment under this Code may include, but is not limited to, cases involving abuse of authority or power, ascendancy, influence such as in a teacher-student, senior faculty-junior faculty, health worker-patient or healthcare provider-client relationship; cases involving peer relationship such as faculty-faculty, employee-employee, or non-teaching personnel by students, or cases involving harassment of supervisors by subordinates.
This Code contemplates cases of harassment involving persons of the same or opposite sex, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.
Where the act/s of sexual harassment are shown to be organization-related or organization-based, the liability for sexual harassment shall extend to the officers of the organization, who are registered students during the commission of the offense, and the organization itself.
Policy Standards and Guidelines on Sexual Harassment
In furtherance of the Declaration of Policy in Section 1 hereof, the following standards and guidelines shall be observed by the University:
(a.) This Code shall apply to all teaching and non-teaching personnel, and students of the University.
(b.) Sexual harassment is a reprehensible conduct which subverts the mission of the University and undermines the dignity of the members of the UP community. The University shall undertake measures to prevent and eliminate sexual harassment.
(c.) All reported incidents or cases of sexual harassment, including incidents between member/s of the UP community and partner entities, shall be appropriately acted upon by the University.
(d.) The University shall provide appropriate services to parties to sexual harassment cases.
(e.) Retaliation in any form, against persons directly or indirectly involved in any incident report or case involving sexual harassment, shall be a ground for disciplinary action.
Coverage
This Code applies to all members of the UP community.
The “UP community” refers to persons, natural or juridical, inclusive of teaching and non-teaching personnel, and students as defined herein.
(a.) “Teaching personnel” – any member of the teaching staff of the University, regardless of academic rank or status of appointment, including any person with teaching responsibilities.
(b.) “Non-teaching personnel” – any person who works for the University, not included in the teaching staff regardless of statues of appointment.
(c.) “Student” – any individual admitted and registered in any program of the University on a regular or part-time basis, including one who is officially on leave of absence and who has not yet been separated from the University formally through either transfer, graduation, honorable or dishonorable dismissal, expulsion or expiration of the period allowed for maximum residence, at the time University at the time of the filing of the charge or during the pendency of the disciplinary proceedings, including any person undertaking on-the-job training.
(d.) “Other UP workers” – refers to non-UP contractual and job order workers, who are under a contractual teaching and non-teaching arrangement, including, but not limited to coach, mentor, trainer, consultant.
(e.) “UP organizations” – refers to organizations or groups registered or recognized by the University or any of it’s offices/units.