Teacher who struck pupil gets slap on the wrist from DepEd

By DAVE ACHONDO,
Desk Editor

FOR striking her pupil with a wooden stick, a public school teacher is now in hot water as the education department ordered here suspended without pay for two month. It doesn’t end there, however, as the parents of the child also filed criminal charges against the teacher.

The Department of Education Region 10 has issued a two month suspension without pay to Grethel Debbie C. Lomongo, a public school teacher at Bonbon Elementary school of this city for grave misconduct, grave abuse of authority and conduct unbecoming of a public school teacher filed against her by Jessie C. Mabaylan a resident of the said area for hitting his daughter with a wooden stick during class.

Jessie C. Mabaylan, father of the victim Mickee Nicole E. Mabaylan, said at some time on July 6, 2012 at about 7 AM he ask his daughter to get ready for school, but refused to do so, worried he asked Mickee why she won’t go to school, Mickee replied in tears and said, she was afraid of her teacher Grethel Debbie Lomongo and showed her father her injured right hand and revealed to him she was struck by a wooden stick by her teacher Lomongo on July 4, 2012 during their class, because she accidentally turned to a wrong page of her book.

Meanwhile, Lomongo, in her counter affidavit filed on February 25, 2013, denied the accusations made against her stating that it was far from the truth, tainted with malice and fraught with fabrication because she was on official leave on July 4, 2012 due to personal reasons, but failed to show any proof to validate her alibi.

Lomongo asserted that she has no knowledge about the real reason why Mickee failed to show up in class on July 9, 2012 and that she has never spanked Mickee, adding she was even considerate with her and encouraged her to participate in class because she scarcely engages herself in daily lessons.

During the formal investigation Lomongo failed to present any witness or evidence to counter the charges against her. Instead, she offered as evidence certifications to prove that she was a dedicated teacher and solicitous of her pupils’ welfare including Mickee. While, the complainant offered in evidence a sworn statement of Adriane Jane Cinco, Mickee’s classmate, who positively stated that Lomongo did in fact, struck the victim on her right hand.

Lomongo was found guilty and in clear violation of the DepED Memorandum No. 297, series of 2006 “Prohibition against Acts Constituting Violations of R.A. No. 7610 otherwise known as the Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act,” by the Department of Education.

Violators of the above mention are punishable by 1 month and 1 day to 6 months for the first infraction and dismissal from the service for second timers.

As this was Lomongo’s first time to be charge with the above the Department of Education did not lose sight of the fact that she was still a dedicated teacher and contributed to the improvement of her school and took this into consideration and mitigated her punishment and was lowered down to “Simple Misconduct” and was meted the penalty of suspension from service for a period of 2 months without pay dated on December 18, 2015 at the DepEd 10.

Friends of Mabaylan, however, still see Lomongo reporting at Bonbon Elementary School.