Grieving for Tanay bus accident victims

OUR hearts go out to the students, their families and relatives affected by the recent bus accident in Tanay, Rizal on February 20.

At least 15 students and the driver were killed in the accident in the vicinity of Magnetic Hill, Peligrino Farm, Sitio Bayukan, Barangay Sampaloc in Tanay, Rizal.

The students, from Bestlink College in Quezon City, were on their way to a camping trip in the area when the bus reportedly lost its brakes and bumped around a post at around 8:45 am.

In addition, the other casualties are undergoing treatment in nearby hospitals in the area.

We call for an immediate investigation on the incident to hold those accountable for the incident and to prevent such incidents from ever happening again.

In particular, statements from the parents should be looked into, saying that the students were required to attend the camping trip, lest they get a failing grade for non-attendance.

Deregulation policies on education push schools to come up with rackets and profiteering schemes, in the form of sometimes extraneous activities such as outdoor excursions, at the cost of the rights and welfare of the students.

Waivers further put their rights at risk as the school can claim no liability on their students, even if said paper is moot.

We believe that such activities should not be compulsory and profit-oriented. We call on school officials to uphold the students’ welfare at all costs, and to assess whether the said objectives are met.

We should also hold the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) accountable as to why these profiteering schemes, and the policies behind them, remain. Let this be a wake up call to school administrators and Ched.

- Cong. Sarah Elago, Kabataan Partylist Representative (09756420124)

Victor Crisostomo, Kabataan Partylist Deputy Media Relations Officer (09166355797)