STUDENT leaders of an aviation college in Cagayan de Oro City are suing their school on allegations of illegal dismissal, claiming such move is a violation of their Constitutional rights.
In a complaint filed on March 27 to the prosecutor’s office, student leaders Muhammad Adel Roa, Amir Clerel Roa, and Karen Faith Suico are suing Acatech Aviation College, its president Jonathan Palma, and its prefect of discipline lawyer Joe Pallugna for their dismissal from the school.
Muhammad also asked the court for an injunction to allow him to graduate on April 12.
In a press conference last Friday, March 29, Muhammad, Amir and Suico said Acatech dismissed the three of them from school after sending a letter of complaint addressed to Secretary Arthur Tugade of the Department of Transportation and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).
According to the student leaders, they sent the letter after their student organization was dissolved by the school.
Acatech, they added, claimed that the said letter caused shame to the school.
The students also walked out of their classrooms last January in protest of the lack of facilities, the lockdown of students, and the imposition of numerous fees against them.
Said fees include the P10,000 graduation fee; the P3,000 basic computer training fee per semester, which the students said there was no such training occurred; and P300 late enrollment fee that they were not informed about.
Another student, Kristian Gavas, who is a known supporter of the student leaders in the said school, was also recently suspended due to alleged bullying.
The student leaders and Gavas himself said there was no incident of bullying which happened in the school that involved them.
The students, according to Amir, signed the petition against Cecilia Encabo, the administration head of Acatech Aviation College, to terminate her as an employee based on the grounds of failure in informing the parents, students and governing student body on the change in the athletic fees into developmental fee.
The allegations also include charging the students of P10,000 graduation fees without prior conference; ordering the lockdown of the school library; locking the student inside the school campus for the duration of the day; and others.
“Students were telling us na ang mga estudyante gipanghadlok. Giingnan sila sa usa ka official sa school nga if dili sila mopirma aning affidavit of reduction, nga mosibog sila, it’s either i-kick out sila or filan sila’g kaso sa eskwelahan,” Amir said.
(Students are telling us that they were intimidated. They were told by a school official that if they will not sign this affidavit of reduction that they will adjust, it is either they will be kicked out or the school will file charges against them)
The complainants said that it was the reason why they were forced to sign documents.
Amir also mentioned that several employees, teachers and staff, were also dismissed from the school for suspicions of supporting the students.
“We filed for a preliminary injunction to allow Adel to graduate as well as us to go back to school. That is the immediate remedy that we have. We’re in the process of talking with the human rights as well as katong mga different student organizations to file a magna carta for students,” Amir said.