DepEd chief, senators slam CamSur school head for burning students’ bags
Education Secretary Leonor Briones vowed last Monday to make the Bicol Central Academy (BCA) in Libmanan, Camarines Sur and its officials liable for the controversial burning of school bags belonging to its students, a video clip of which went viral social media websites last weekend.
A number of senators who had viewed the video clip of the incident also reacted with alarm and indignation over the school administrator’s “cruel” treatment of the high school students who were made to witness the burning of their personal belongings.
Briones, in a phone interview with the Manila Bulletin, stressed that DepEd has been strictly monitoring developments on the investigation into the incident at the BCA by DepEd Region 5 Director Gilbert Sadsad.
She said the DepEd was “expecting a more comprehensive report on the incident” after she instructed Sadsad to personally visit the school and conduct the investigation on Alexander James Jaucian, the school’s administrator and owner who allegedly ordered the burning of the school bags.
Sadsad, who gathered that the bags of the students were burned as a disciplinary action for violating BCA’s “no bag” policy during a school event, said that Jaucian has already agreed to dialogue at the students and their parents at the DepEd Bicol Regional Office later this week.
Nevertheless, Briones is not about to arbitrarily shut the school’s operation.
“That (cancelling license) will be a long story, a long process,” said Briones in a phone interview with the Manila Bulletin. She noted that “there is a separate an independent group which inspects and monitors private schools” on DepEd’s behalf which is the Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC).
Senators hit BCA At the Senate, Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara said Jaucian’s actions were “totally unacceptable and defied any reasonable logic.”
“This is not the way to instill discipline among our students,” said Angara, whose late father, Edgardo Sr., served as University of the Philippines (UP) before being elected senator.
“He (Jaucian) ought to be held responsible for his seemingly irrational action, which deserves indignation and punishment from authorities, particularly the Department of Education,” he added.
Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who chairs the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture, also slammed the actions of the school administrator.
“I urge the DepEd to immediately investigate the actions of the Bicol Central Academy & its head Mr. Alexander Jaucian in supposedly burning the bags of students,” Escudero said on his Twitter account. “If true, I consider it cruel & unusual punishment & downright wrong!!!” he emphasized.