Some
16 students of Badiang National High School in Anda town
filed a child abuse complaint last Friday at the provincial
prosecutor's office against their school principal after
they received corporal punishment for being late in coming
to school.
Parents of the schoolchildren, mostly aged from 13 to
16 years old, came to the Chronicle offices last Tuesday
to report the abuse of school principal Erlindo Fontanoza
which was caught on video by one of the students. |
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CHILD
ABUSE. Students of Badiang National High School in Anda
town narrate their complaint against their school principal
who allegedly uses a "Chinese garter" to inflict
pain on the studes.
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The
cellular phone-generated video showed Fontanoza in the act
of inflicting pain to one of the students using a 'Chinese
garter'.
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In
an interview with the Chronicle, one of the victims
(name withheld) said there were 69 students from first
year to fourth year who came to school late in the morning
of February 9.
Fontanoza
allegedly made the students to choose whether to donate
a portion of the school's fencing project, have failing
mark in one of their subjects or take the 'Chinese garter'
punishment.
Each
of the students were to take 50 hits on their ears from
Fontanoza's 'Chinese garter'.
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Most
of the late students opted to undergo the ordeal since they
could hardly afford fencing materials and nobody among them
wanted a failing grade either.
CAUGHT
ON VIDEO
Unknowingly,
Fontanoza did not notice that one of the students who was
about to be punished was bringing a video-capable cellular
phone which he used to capture the ordeal of one of his schoolmates.
The
video clearly showed Fontanoza performing the physical punishment
in one of the school's classrooms and repeatedly hitting the
student's ear with his 'Chinese garter' while the latter bent
down in pain.
One
of the female students went home after she was punished and
told her parents about the punishment.
The
student's mother, who was interviewed by the Chronicle said
her daughter's ear was completely swollen after 50-blows from
the 'Chinese garter'.
The
mother immediately went to the school and caught the principal
in the middle of punishing one of the students.
Out
of the 69 who were late, 16 students were already meted the
'Chinese garter' punishment when the principal was stopped
by the victim's mother.
Efforts
to contact Fontanoza proved futile as of newstime.
DEP-ED'S
SIDE
Department
of Education (DepEd) Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
Namocatcat, was given a copy of the video. He said teachers
and school administrators are expressly prohibited under a
DepEd standing policy on corporal punishment.
While
school officials and teachers have the right to impose discipline
on minor offenses, they are not allowed to use "cruel
and physically harmful punishment against any pupil or student,
this is provided in RA 7016 or the Anti-Child Abuse Act of
the Philippines.
If
found guilty, the school principal may not only be criminally
liable but will also face dismissal from government service
and the revocation of his teacher's license.
The
case has already been reported to the Department of Social
Welfare and Development Bohol.
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