NEWS FEATURE

Antipolo slapped student slaps family with prejudice

BY DARREN WAMINAL | NOVEMBER 11, 2023

Parents arrive along with their children at Penafrancia Elementary School in Antipolo City. | via Darren Waminal

Schools have traditionally been referred to as second homes for young ones, a place where a majority of a child’s time is spent. This was the expected experience for 14-year-old elementary student, Francis Jay Gumikib from Peñafrancia Spring Valley Elementary School in Antipolo, Rizal.

Recent news reports have shed light on Gumikib's distressing encounter with maltreatment, which he faced after being reprimanded by classmates for alleged noise-making. He endured physical harm, including having his collar grabbed, his hair pulled, and being slapped by an individual he viewed as a second parental figure at his school on September 20.

Elena Minggoy, Francis' mother, shared that her son was slapped by his instructor and was briefly unable to speak after the incident.

"My child told me that he lost his hearing momentarily after the slap," she remarked in Filipino.

In the days following the incident, Francis continued attending school, but on September 26, he began experiencing vomiting, severe discomfort, and dizziness. He was subsequently admitted to Amang Rodriguez General Hospital.

According to Minggoy, who spoke to Radyo Pilipinas, he underwent CT scan and X-ray upon admission, and they found out that there was a bleeding in his brain and a blood vessel rupture.

Schools are where individuals spend some of the most formative years of their lives, learning how to socialize and to differentiate what’s right and wrong. With what Francis went through, what he thought was a safe place considered as his second home is ironically where he suffered maltreatment, an engaging place supposedly, field with a learning atmosphere and a welcoming environment from the teacher he viewed as his second parent.

The Department of Education (DepEd) has placed the teacher accused of slapping Gumikib on a 90-day suspension, 11 days before the student died due to brain edema. The suspension has been put on hold as part of preventative measures while the probe is still ongoing, as per the report from SuperRadyo DZBB.

Autopsy Report

Gumukib was hospitalized and fell into a coma 3 days after the incident. Subsequently, the 14-year-old student was pronounced dead due to an intraparenchymal or brain hemorrhage.

In the emergence of the question and suspicion of the cause of the student's death, forensic expert Raquel Fortun suggested an autopsy examination to be executed involving a three-dimensional examination since the issued death certificate did not include all important details.

According to Antipolo Police Lt. Col. Ryan Manongdo, the 14-year-old student’s death ‘had nothing to do’ with being viciously hit by his teacher more than a week before his passing.

Ensuring Child Safety in School

In the Philippines, there are specific laws and regulations in place to protect students from abuse. These laws include, but are not limited to, the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 enacted to combat bullying in schools; and the DepEd Child Protection Policy offering guidelines for the prevention and management of child abuse and maltreatment within the educational system. It is also included in the Teacher’s Code of Ethics, which underscores the importance of respecting students’ rights.

Considering that there are laws designed to protect children from violence, the action made by the teacher was an alleged violation of the Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act.

The law, which provides stronger deterrence and special protection against child abuse, exploitation, and discrimination, is legislated to protect the children from anyone who engages in further acts of child abuse, cruelty, or exploitation, or who is accountable for other circumstances that are detrimental to a child's development.

Today, Gumikib's family still demands justice against the violence that happened inside the classroom.