Angry mother files child abuse complaint vs Tejero, assistant

By LITO RULONA
Correspondent

ANOTHER parent has filed a complaint against City Central School principal Arnold Tejero and his subordinate.

Dr. Tejero and his assistant Rudy Villalobos were charged with violation of the RA 7610, the law against child abuse, exploitation and discrimination, based on the complaint that a 10-year old boy was allegedly manhandled by the assistant principal.

Tejero was accused of serving as an accessory to the crime and of allegedly threatening the boy and his mother instead.

In a four-page affidavit-complaint submitted to the City Prosecutor’s Office, Villalobos was accused of kicking the boy’s behind twice because the pupil was late in the morning of Feb. 17, this year.

An incident report in a police station showed that the boy was allegedly kicked so that the chilkd would enter a classroom.

The boy from Macasandig, accompanied by his mother, went to the prosecutor’s office and was assisted by associate prosecution attorney Anna Salcedo-Rafael last week.

The boy’s mother Rosemary (not her real name) said she went to the school to confront Villalobos this March 9 but was disappointed because Dr. Tejero defended Villalobos instead.

She said Tejero even accused the boy of making up a story against the assistant principal.

Tejero was quoted as telling the boy: “Kining imong gibuhat karon criminal, pwede ka mapriso. Ipasumon tika sa barangay. Padal-an tika og police car dayun ipa-warrant ka nako. Gi-unsa ba ka pagtudlo sa imong ginikanan.”

Rosemary said her son was traumatized and has lost his desire to go back to school because of fear.

She said she also suffered mental and emotional anguish because of changes in her son’s behavior.

Rosemary said Tejero and Villalobos should have served as “second parents” to the boy.