STUDENTS hurt during last week's protest said they will file child abuse charges against the Department of Education (DepEd) and its security officers.
Terry Ridon, national chair of the League of Filipino Students (LFS), said they are now collating the statements as well as the medical certificates of the students hurt in the dispersal last Friday.
Ridon said the students will be pressing charges of multiple counts of serious and slight physical injuries and grave threats aside from child abuse.
He said one of the LFS members, Ronald Gustillo, was handcuffed, while five high school students, namely, Ronald Santos, Mark Gil Gamido, Ivan Bontorosto, Raymond Ubero, and James Anajao sustained contusion and bruises during the dispersal.
The five were students of the Culiat, Quirino and Ramon Magsaysay High Schools in Quezon City.
Anna Tolentino, LFS Deputy Secretary General, said she was punched by one of the security guards, causing her ear to bleed.
For his part, Bontorosto said the incident would not deter them from staging more protest actions against the DepEd
"Despite our injuries, we will never hesitate to return to the DepEd to hold it accountable not only for damaging our persons, but for its policies that had never benefited us high school students." Bontorosto said.
For his part, DepEd Undersecretary for Legal and Legislative Affairs and concurrent Spokesman Alberto Muyot said they will review the protocol on the handling of protesters by its security guards to prevent a repeat of last week's incident. (AH/Sunnex)