Tuesday, September 25, 2007 Parents of USEP coed file P3M suit vs school By Rhodamae M. Hernandez
THE parents of a University of Southeastern Philippines student who died last July 2006 after she got burned during a beauty pageant inside the school filed a civil complaint amounting to more than P3 million against school administrators while the criminal aspect of the case is now with the Ombudsman Mindanao.
Spouses Antonio and Rosita Sarate, parents of Cheryl, assisted by their counsel Ranoelo Leonar, were demanding from the defendants the sum of P5,000,000 for moral damages, P2,000,000 for exemplary damages; P5,000,000 for probable income lost; and 30 percent of total awards given for attorney's fee.
Those charged were Dr. Romulo Sumugat, university vice president; Dr. Romulo Dequito, chief security officer and or director of student affairs; Dr. Marie Rose Escalada, College of Arts and Sciences dean; Dr. Gilbert Gordo, director of Corporate Enterprise and Development Office; Professor Catherine Roble, student organization adviser; Emma Gobantes, officer in charge of the social hall; and the Guild of English Students (GUES).
GUES was the organizer of the pageant held on the evening of July 20 where Cheryl was one of the contestants.
It was Cheryl's turn to show off her gown when this caught fire from one of several candles placed along the catwalk, apparently intended to create some special lighting effect. Fire immediately engulfed her gown as this was made of combustible materials.
Cheryl died three days after she was brought to the Davao Medical Center Mindanao Burn Unit due to the gravity of her burns.
In their complaint, the parents said that the GUES, its officers, and the event organizers did not adopt a security plan before, during, and after the activity; they did not ensure the presence of safety personnel or school official during the activity; and they used open flame inside the social hall in violation of the existing laws and safety guidelines.
The organization's imprudence and negligence were the proximate cause of the victim's death, they added.
The couple said each of the named defendants negligently and imprudently failed in their respective administrative and sworn responsibilities, which aggravated and directly contributed to the death of the victim.
