DepEd: ComVal teacher suicide not work-related

A DEPARTMENT of Education (Deped) official denied the suicide case of a teacher from Mabini, Compostela Valley was work-related.

Dep-Ed Davao Region Spokesperson Jenielito Atillo said the case of Pindasan Elementary School teacher Fe Concepcion, who committed suicide on November 7, inside her classroom, was due to a personal problem.

"Gusto namo ipahibalo na dili na siya work-related. As per report from the Deped-Comval, it is more of a personal problem (We want to inform the public that the incident is not work-related)," Atillo said in a phone interview with SunStar Davao.

He added that after the incident Deped conducted psychosocial intervention for the pupils who witnessed the incident to avoid trauma on their part.

“We must not immediately conclude na work-related incident kay it may send a very bad message to the public (This case should not be concluded to be work-related for it may send a wrong message to the public)," he said.

A report from the Police Regional Office (PRO) Davao Region said that on Wednesday, around 2:30 p.m., Concepcion hanged herself inside the comfort room of her classroom. She was a teacher at Pindasan Elementary School in Mabini, Compostela Valley.

She was rushed to the nearby hospital but she did not reach the facility alive.

Atillo said DepEd strictly follows the guidelines for teachers in how they render their work citing Republic Act (RA) 4670 or the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers which requires them to render not more than six hours of actual classroom teaching a day.

Atillo said Deped-ComVal and its local government unit (LGU) will immediately extend assistance to the family of the deceased.

"[The] insinuation that it is work-related, that is not correct, because that is unfair to the concerned teacher and their family and we are one with the family,” he said.

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Individuals suffering from depression and needing assistance may call HopeLine Hotlines at (02) 804-HOPE (4673); 0917 558 HOPE (4673); and 2919 (toll-free number for all GLOBE and TM subscribers).