By LITO RULONA
Correspondent
A GROUP of parents of elementary graders at the City Central School has urged the Department of Education (Deped) and the city council to start separate investigations into allegations now confronting the principal of the region’s most populous public school.
The group, represented by Junar Roy Cabigas, wrote to Education Secretary Leonor Briones and Vice Mayor Reinier Joaquin Uy to seek an immediate special investigations into allegations of immoral conduct and abuse of authority against principal Arnold Tejero.
The group urged the city council to task its education committee chaired by Councilor Suzette Daba to start an investigation in aid of legislation.
Cabigas said the controversy hounding the City Central School was a matter of concern for parents of students of the public school.
He said it was their right and obligation to get involved, and to bring the matter to the attention of Briones and the city council.
He said there were questions being raised by “the overwhelming majority of the teachers, parents of City Central School.”
Cabigas said until now, “no one from the system” has looked into the controversy or acted to stop the “illegal, immoral and counterproductive activities,” he said.
Dr. Tejero has been accused of acts of lasciviousness and sexual harassment, grave misconduct and abuse of authority in separate complaints filed by the mother of a 5th grader and a teacher. They filed complaints with the Office of the Ombudsman and the local prosecution office.
Cabigas’s group alleged that one of the complainants, a teacher, has been subjected to “all forms of harassment” everyday.
Cabigas also said his group was also informed that another teacher was preparing another complaint for sexual harassment against Dr. Tejero.
He said there were other concerns that should be looked into by the education department and the city council like the controversies on test papers, the disposal of the scrap or unserviceable school materials and equipment, the collection of fees for the school IDs, and on the management of the school canteen.
Councilor Daba said her committee would tackle the concerns with the interested parties.
“Kung madawat nako ang copy sa letter, then we will immediately start the investigation,” Daba said.
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