Teacher indicted for child abuse

CEBU, Philippines - A teacher at the Don Carlos Gothong National High School who was accused of hitting one of her students was indicted by the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas for child abuse.

The anti-graft office filed the criminal case for violation of the Republic Act 7610, otherwise known as the Special Protection of Children against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, against Vigil Rosalind Lanquino before the Regional Trial Court.

Then anti-graft investigator Charina Navarro-Quijano found probable cause to indict Lanquino of the complaint filed by the parents of her 14-year-old second year high school student.

The victim said that sometime in the third week of March 2003, Lanquino, who was his English teacher, approached him and in a “demeaning and insulting manner” accused him of being always absent.

Simultaneously, the accused reportedly hit him with her knuckles in the presence of his classmates.

According to the victim, he was very much humiliated because of the incident as he instantly became a subject of ridicule and jokes of his classmates.

The victim said that because of the humiliation he suffered, he lost his motivation to go to school.

Lanquino denied the charges, claiming that she merely pressured the victim to accomplish all the necessary reports. The accused said that instead of the victim answering her, he just nodded his head.

However, the anti-graft office still found probable cause to indict her. The anti-graft investigator ruled that Lanquino’s defense could be better established during the trial of the case in court.

The Ombudsman has recommended P16,000 bail for Lanquino’s temporary liberty. — Fred P. Languido/LPM (THE FREEMAN)