DepEd 7 to investigate deaths of CIS students
-A A +AFriday, September 21, 2012
THE Department of Education (DepEd) Central Office assured the Gullas family that it will investigate the deaths of Kyle Julian Gullas Weckman and his classmate Jae Hak “James” Jung, a Korean national, during a field trip in Luzon last week.
Weckman is the grandson of former congressman Jose “Dodong” Gullas, who is the brother of Rep. Eduardo “Eddiegul” Gullas (Cebu, 1st district).
The two grade 8 students of the Cebu International School (CIS) joined 39 other classmates conduct an outreach program at a public school in Sitio Canauan in Morong, Bataan last Sept. 12.
The group later took a side trip to the Kairukan Falls, a 30-minute uphill hike from the school. That was where the incident happened.
“We shall continue to extend necessary assistance and cooperation with the proper authorities to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice,” said Tina Ganzon, DepEd communications director, in a text message to Sun.Star Cebu.
School probe
Ganzon said the investigation will be led by DepEd 7.
Jacqueline Gullas-Weckman, the victim’s mother, had asked the DepEd to conduct a fact-finding inquiry on the trip.
An official who asked not to be named said her request was forwarded to DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro and endorsed to Atty. Alberto Muyot, DepEd’s Legal Affairs Division head.
The office still awaits the memorandum on the investigation.
Mimo Osmeña, CIS investigating committee chairman, said in an interview over radio dyLA said a report on the incident will be presented to the board of trustees by Saturday.
Xavier Aboitiz has taken over as board chairman from Jacqueline, who has resigned.
Osmeña declined to provide details of the report, but he said the probe will include, among others, the schedule of activities and the companions of the students aside from their teachers. They will also review the documentation of the trip and how the venue was chosen.
He said the committee is double-checking the witnesses’ accounts.
He said they want to know what happened on the day of the accident like what the teachers and students were doing.
Osmeña also said the committee will come up with a recommendation to the board to address responsibilities or policies that were not followed.
He said his daughter was on the same trip as Weckman and he, too, wants to know what
happened that day.
“We are not a formal investigation, we are only investigating for the school,” he said.
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on September 21, 2012.
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