Pistol-wielding 7th grader also toyed with a grenade
By NITZ ARANCON
with JIGGER J. JERUSALEM
Correspondents
COUNCILORS over the weekend called for an investigation into the apparent accidental shooting of a female 7th grader inside a private school in Barangay Macasandig on Thursday. Officials also want school administrators summoned to the city council.
Councilors Teodulfo Lao Jr., Suzette Magtajas-Daba, George Goking, and Romeo Calizo said they found the incident very disturbing.
On Thursday morning, a 13-year-old student was hit by a bullet fired from a pistol brought by her male classmate. The pistol allegedly belonged to the latter’s father, reportedly one “Col. Barrientos.”
In an interview on Friday, Macasandig police chief Maj. Duyle Vembu 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.”
Maj. Evan Viñas, city police spokesperson, said the same thing. According to Viñas, some students brought toy guns as props for an activity.
On Saturday, this paper was sent a 22-second video clip that showed the boy showing off a grenade inside what looked like a learning facility. The boy was with other students at that time.
As of Saturday, the school has yet to issue an official statement.
Councilor Lao said he plans on bringing the matter to the attention of the city council today.
An official investigation, he said, could result in a city ordinance that would require schools in the city, public or private, to follow clear and specific campus security protocols.
Daba, meanwhile, sought a joint investigation into the shooting by members of the city’s legislature and the Department of Education (Deped).
“Sabay nami with Deped para ma-isa na tanan,” she told the Gold Star Daily.
Daba, who chairs the city council’s committee on education, also called on the Macasandig school to put in place measures to avoid a repeat of the incident.
“The school should be a safe haven for our children. Oro Christian must get to be bottom of this and mete out punishment, if necessary. Remind parents to be cautious of their children’s behavior at all times,” Daba said.
Goking said he also wants to know what really happened through an official investigation.
He said the incident should serve as a wake-up call to all school administrators, and it highlights the need for the city council to pass an ordinance aimed at keeping campuses in the city safe.
Goking, a member of the council’s education committee, said the city council should summon officials of the Macasandig private school so they could explain what happened.
He said the education committee should also consider inviting the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).
“Mas maayo nang ma-imbistigahan kay dapat ang safety sa mga kabataan ang mahatagan sa priority, dili lang sa Oro Christian, lakip na sa uban pang mga schools, whether private or public,” Goking said.
Councilor Calizo said he would ask the city secretary to include in the city council agenda his request to convene a joint committee that would look into the shooting. He said parents and school officials need to be invited to the city council.
Calizo, chairman of the city council’s police, fire and public safety committee, said the committees on women and family, and education should meet as one.
“The school should take appropriate action immediately and implement stricter measures to ensure that the same incident will not happen again,” Calizo said.
He said the school administration should also profile students who have the tendency to do such acts.
“It is a very rare sight for a student and a minor, at that, to be bringing a grenade, and later, a pistol to school,” said Calizo, a retired general, adding that the boy’s parents and the school itself can be held liable for what had happened.
Update: Hours after correspondent Nitz Arancon filed this story, Oro Christian Grace School released its official statement on the incident. Click on the link below to read ….
