DepEd-7 suspends principal

The principal of Abellana National School (ANS) has been preventively suspended since last week while undergoing investigation on charges of allegedly having an illicit affair with a married teacher.

Department of Education (DepEd)-7 Acting Regional Director Juliet Jeruta ordered that Emelita T. Lanaria be preventively suspended for a period not exceeding 90 days and to answer the accusations against her.

Jeruta directed DepEd Cebu City Schools Division Superintendent Bianito Dagatan to constitute the Division Investigation Committee to look into the complaints of Leomar C. Amagos and Nancy B. Algabre, school guard and utility worker of ANS, respectively.

The complainants claimed that Lanaria and a certain Ramil V. Balvez, a teacher assigned at Guadalupe Elementary School, are allegedly having an illicit affair despite the fact that both of them are married.

Lanaria, who had long been separated from her husband, denied the accusations against her.

“Mr. Balvez is only a good friend of mine. I firmly believed that Amagos did not fully understand the meaning of illicit affair,” she said.

Amagos reportedly filed the case against Lanaria only after he got suspended by the latter because of reports that he always abandoned his post.

The principal denied she stayed in her office, but she said there were times, that because of the workload, she even forgot that it is already beyond office hours.

The complainants further alleged that Lanaria allowed Balvez and some other friends to have a drinking session and to stay overnight at the principal's office, particularly during weekends.

They also claimed that Lanaria made Algabre her personal laundry woman, which is already beyond the scope of her duties and responsibilities as school's utility worker.

In his affidavit that he submitted to DepEd-7, Amagos said Lanaria and Balvez are living together inside the principal's office as they stayed there even after working hours and during non-working days.

“They have been using the principal's office as their home where they kept their personal belongings, do their laundry and kept their clothes and other personal things,” Amagos added.

He added his duty is only from Monday to Friday, but Lanaria usually calls him even on Saturdays and Sundays to do personal errands for her, like to buy fish at the Pasil market and to cook it for them.

“Being my superior, I could not say no whenever she would call me to report to school during my day off,” he said.