A SCHEDULED role-playing activity at the Oro Christian Grace School in Macasandig nearly cost a 13-year-old girl her life after a pistol her classmate sneaked into the school went off on Thursday.

“They supposedly had a role-playing activity, war games, in their English class. The students brought plastic guns,” said Maj. Duyle Vembu Buenaflor, Macasandig police chief.

But one of the 7th graders from Tejero Subdivision, Barangay Patag, brought more than a toy gun -- the 13-year-old armed himself with a pistol that allegedly belonged his father. (Nitz Arancon)

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Update Published on 2020/02/01

Bloody role play as 13-year-old arms self

A SCHEDULED role-play at the Oro Christian Grace School in Macasandig nearly cost a 13-year-old girl her life after a pistol her classmate sneaked into the school went off on Thursday.

“They supposedly had a role-playing activity, war games, in their English class. The students brought plastic guns,” said Maj. Duyle Vembu Buenaflor, Macasandig police chief.

But one of the 7th graders from Tejero Subdivision, Barangay Patag, brought more than a toy gun — the 13-year-old armed himself with a pistol that allegedly belonged to his father.

The 9mm pistol, according to Buenaflor, accidentally went off inside Room 201 at the 2nd level of the Oro Christian Grace School’s main building in Macasandig past 7 am Thursday.

The victim, a resident of RER-Phase 2 in Barangay Kauswagan, was rushed to the Madonna and Child Hospital in Carmen. The girl, according to Buenaflor, is out of danger.

Buenaflor said the girl was merely grazed by a bullet. This paper, however, checked and found out that it was more than a graze — although a flesh wound, the bullet hit and went through the left part of the girl’s stomach.

Police took custody of the pistol and two plastic guns and found a shell from the 9mm pistol at the crime scene.

Buenaflor said the pistol was found inside the bag of one of the 7th graders.

Buenaflor said investigators found out that the pistol’s owner is an Army colonel but he did not give a name.

“The soldier left the gun in his house and then went to Manila. It looks like the son was able to find it and took it with him to school,” Buenaflor said.

This paper checked with another police source and the surname “Barrientos” surfaced. Capt. Reggie Go, Camp Evangelista spokesperson, said there is no “Barrientos” in the current roster of the 4th Infantry Division’s colonels.

Buenaflor said investigators were still working to find out exactly why and how the pistol went off, and how the student was able to bring a deadly weapon inside the campus undetected by school guards.

So far, what investigators found out was that the accidental shooting happened at a time when four 7th graders went inside Room 201 while waiting for their class.

Buenaflor said the girl, bloodied, subsequently went downstairs with her three classmates, and she was rushed to the hospital.

Police said there was an attempt by the girl to withhold vital information at first by claiming that her wound was caused by a metal stick.

He said the girl’s classmates subsequently revealed to a persistent teacher that it was a gunshot wound.

“The teacher searched for the metal stick and did not find any. Her classmates were pressured into telling the truth,” said Buenaflor.

He noted that it took a while for the accidental shooting to be reported to the Macasandig police. It was a woman named Leslie who brought the matter to the police’s attention past 11 am Thursday.

Buenaflor said social workers would have to step in and deal with the underaged suspect and victim.

Published Feb. 4, 2020

Macasandig school issues statement: No role play, just scheduled ‘Peace, Not War’ recital

By CONG B. CORRALES
 Associate Editor

ORO Christian Grace School broke its silence over the weekend and released a statement that contradicted the police’s pronouncements about the circumstances surrounding the shooting of a female 7th grader inside its campus on Thursday.

In an unsigned statement posted on the school’s Facebook page at 10:01 pm Saturday, the institution denied claims made by the police that the weapon brought inside the campus by a male student was among the props for an English class presentation.

The school called the news report “false news.”

Reads part of Oro Christian Grace School’s statement:

“To clarify, props were not required for the presentation, contrary to the circulating false news that the gun was brought as props for an English class activity. The English activity of Grade 7 Mark was Verse Choir (a group/class poem recitation) entitled ‘Peace, Not War’ which was assigned by the teacher since January 22 for memorization.”

According to the school, the presentation was scheduled during the English Week Culmination Day on Feb. 7. Interestingly, rubrics for the performance have been set: “Interpretation, 35%, Delivery 30%, Stage Presence 20%, Mastery of Piece 15%.”

The school’s narrative is different from what Macasandig police chief Maj. Duyle Vembu Buenaflor said on Friday. In that interview, Maj. Buenaflor said: 

"Naa kunoy ilang role play sa English subject nga gira-gira. Mao tong ang uban sa ilang classmate nagdala ug pusil nga plastik.”

Police said it took custody of a 9mm pistol and a shell and two plastic guns.

The spokesman of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo), Maj. Evan Viñas, corroborated Buenaflor’s pronouncements and said some students brought toy guns as props for an activity.

The pistol-wielding student, who was also seen with a grenade, caught on video, is currently under the custody of his parents and the wounded 13-year-old student is now out of danger.

"Status of School Investigation"

 ”The school’s disciplinary investigation is still ongoing, and the erring student has been placed in Preventive Suspension effective January 30, 2020. Assuredly, the school will apply the necessary disciplinary procedures in completing the investigation and will implement the applicable policies to the proper and right conclusion and (the) decision of the matter,” the school continued in its statement.

It also said they were cooperating with the authorities in the investigation into the incident.

The school explained that it released a statement late because there were other priorities “to address the incident and attend to the necessary investigation at hand.”

Police said it took custody of a 9mm pistol and a shell and two plastic guns.

The spokesman of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo), Maj. Evan Viñas, corroborated Buenaflor’s pronouncements and said some students brought toy guns as props for an activity.

The pistol-wielding student, who was also seen with a grenade caught on video, is currently under the custody of his parents and the wounded 13-year-old student is now out of danger.

 ”The school’s disciplinary investigation is still ongoing and the erring student has been placed in Preventive Suspension effective January 30, 2020. Assuredly, the school will apply the necessary disciplinary procedures in completing the investigation and will implement the applicable policies to the proper and right conclusion and (the) decision of the matter,” the school continued in its statement.

It also said they were cooperating with the authorities in the investigation into the incident.

The school explained that it released a statement late because there were other priorities “to address the incident and attend to the necessary investigation at hand.”

Meanwhile, the school said a video of the student showing a grenade to fellow students was taken on a different day and not in the school premises.

It said the police has established during a Jan. 30 investigation that the grenade was nowhere in school on Thursday.

Below is the official statement of Oro Christian Grace School.