Neighbor slays teen girl over land row – probers
CamSur school head suspended for burning bags
STA. BARBARA, Pangasinan — A Grade 8 student was allegedly strangled to death inside her house in this town allegedly by a neighbor who had threatened to kill her entire family hours before her body was found last Tuesday afternoon, police said.
Chief Inspector Rommel Bagsic, Sta. Barbara chief of police, identified the victim as Cheeny Lagrimas Cruz, 13, of Barangay Cablong, here.
Bagsic said the victim’s mother discovered she was dead inside their house at 5:10 p.m. last Tuesday after allegedly spotting their neighbor – Rogelio Banda dela Cruz, 50, single and jobless – coming out of her room.
Homicide investigators who arrested Dela Cruz said the autopsy on the girl indicated that she was strangled to death with the use of a rope.
Bagsic told the Manila Bulletin that in the morning prior to the killing, Dela Cruz, who lived alone, had a heated argument with Cheeny’s father over a land dispute.
During that argument, Dela Cruz allegedly threatened to kill the victim’s entire family, he said.
Now jailed and charged with murder, Dela Cruz has denied having killed the teenage girl.
The Department of Education (DepEd) confirmed yesterday that the school administrator of Bicol Central Academy (BCA) who ordered the burning of students’ bags for violating the “no-bag” policy during a school event has been suspended.
DepEd Undersecretary for Planning and Field Operations Jesus Mateo, in an interview on the sidelines of the 2018 National Child Protection Summit, confirmed that BCA school administrator Alexander James Jaucian has already been “suspended” by the school’s board.
“The administrator has been suspended and has apologized also,” Mateo said in mix of English and Filipino. Since the BCA is a private school, the suspension order, he said, came from the school’s Board of Directors “upon the intervention of DepEd.”
Meanwhile, DepEd Undersecretary for Finance and Spokesperson Annalyn Sevilla also confirmed to The Manila Bulletin that Jaucian has been suspended by the BCA Board of Trustees “for 90 days without pay” starting Aug. 20, 2018.
No immediate closure
To allay fears of some stakeholders in the case – particularly the affected students and parents – the DepEd said that the BCA will not be closed right away without going through the proper process.
BCA – particularly Jaucian – continues to receive backlash from netizens and other stakeholders for the viral photos and video which show the burning of students’ bags as a punishment for failing to comply with the “no-bag” policy during a school event. He was also identified in a video berating the students by calling them “stupid.”
The incident has led many stakeholders to urge the authorities particularly DepEd to act on it. While many are calling for DepEd shut down the school by cancelling its permit to operate or suspend its recognition, others raised concern on the effect of possible closure of the school on the students.