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.

 ”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.”

“We had to cooperate with the government authorities such as the Philippine National Police, Women’s and Child Protection Desk and Military Intelligence Battalion. Meetings were also conducted by the School Administration with the Board of Trustees to decide on policies that could immediately be set in place to effectively strengthen our existing safety and security protocols,” their statement reads.

The school said it has stepped up security measures in the campus after the incident.

Oro Christian Grace School said it also provided a debriefing session for 14 students who witnessed the shooting incident, and more debriefing sessions for the other students who may have been traumatized were being made.

 ”The School has always held the best interest of the children in her care and will faithfully continue to do so to the best of her capacities,” the school’s statement reads.

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