Friday, July 25, 2008 Students face probe for drinking, cutting class
THE Department of Education (DepEd) will look into allegations that the Argao students linked to an alleged sex scandal were cutting classes and drinking liquor.
DepEd Cebu Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Serena Uy said they will be looking into the allegations separately.
“For now, what we have been focusing on is the sex scandal,” said Uy.
Uy said she expected to receive today the report on the inquiry led by Virgilio Suan, the provincial administrative officer. She said she will look into what really happened based on the investigation findings.
Finding no evidence on the existence of a sex video of students of Canbanua National High School (CNHS), DepEd cleared them to return to their school.
Embarrassment
The students, however, no longer want to return to their classes because of their embarrassment at the publication of the sex scandal allegations. At least one has dropped out while the six others have opted to transfer to other schools.
“(Suan) told me that the students were initially in their classes but later on they went out,” Uy told Sun.Star Cebu in a phone interview.
Because the students were reported to be drinking by the beach in Barangay Poblacion, Argao last Monday, Uy said the issue might become a separate inquiry to establish if the students were indeed drinking while classes were still ongoing.
She said the accusation of drinking while still in school uniform was not an issue.
“We are not requiring students to wear their uniforms anymore since it is now up to them whether or not to wear their uniforms,” said Uy.
If proven they were indeed drinking, the only reason they would be sanctioned was for drinking alcoholic beverages during class hours, Uy said.
“If it can be established that they were drinking, we might suspend them, but (there will be) no expulsion,” said Uy.
With the students now embarrassed to return to school, Uy said they are considering ways to help them deal with the issue.
“Probably we will be calling a meeting with the school principal and guidance counselor to discuss the kind of intervention we will be giving,” said Uy.
Three girls and four boys, all of CNHS, were reported to have been caught having sex at a vacant attic room in an old tourism building in Argao town.
The incident was reportedly recorded on a camera phone but lawmen could not find any video clips from the four cellular phones they seized from the students. What they saw on one mobile phone was two students kissing.
Argao resident Enrique Cuizon told radio dyLA that he witnessed two pairs of students having sex when he went inside old building.
That time, Cuizon was drinking with friends outside the edifice, which is located near a public beach at the back of Argao municipal hall.
SPO1 Arnold Abenir, Argao police investigator, said 12 CNHS students were at the building but five of them - two girls and three boys - went back to school after lunch.
During Wednesday’s investigation on the incident, Abenir said two of the girls showed up and said they no longer want to return to school. One dropped out while the other transferred to another public school in a neighboring town.
One of the girls, Abenir said, wore a bonnet to cover her hair that was reportedly cut short by her parents after last Monday’s publicized controversy.
Values
Meanwhile, Cebu Archdiocesan media liaison officer Msgr. Achilles Dakay said he was amendable to integrating sex education into science subjects as long as it is “grounded on moral beliefs and Christian values.”
“And it should not be there to teach the students on sex, abortion, contraceptives, like what they are all pushing for,” said Dakay.
He said legislators are pushing for sex education that also promotes contraceptives and pregnancies. He said sex education should be balanced when taught in school in order to avoid these types of scandals.
Cebu Provincial Police Office Director Carmelo Valmoria, meanwhile, said there was no evidence to support allegations the students were having sex last Monday.
Since they could not prove that they were filming a sex video, Valmoria said the students did not commit any offense by gathering in the old tourism building of the town.
The incident has led Valmoria to appeal to parents to closely monitor their children. He said police also encourages the implementation of a curfew, although an ordinance needs to be passed before they can do this.
He asked police chiefs, not only in Argao but in all towns and cities, to monitor poorly lit areas where young people can gather and do questionable activities. (EPB/with GC and MEA)
