Mother sues teacher for embarrassing her teenage son

CEBU, Philippines – A mother of a high school student filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas against a public school teacher in Naga City, Cebu for embarrassing her son twice.

According to the complaint, the teacher, Mrs. Joselyn Diaz, told her third year high school student, Qynn V. Manulat, "Ngano misulod pa ka diri? Nagdala kag samok sa klase." The incident allegedly happened during their Math subject last July 2008.

Rytt Gabriel S. Valencia, in a letter to the anti-graft office, said that her son was "so ashamed" that he did not stopped going to all of his classes at the Tuyan National High School.

Qynn was a transferee from the San Roque Child Development School. He submitted his card from San Roque to Diaz. But Diaz, according to the complaint, lost the card because she placed it in her bag, which was snatched.

If the claim of the mother is true, Diaz admitted this during a confrontation at the office of the principal, Mrs. Phoebe Alvaran, and with the presence of the school's guidance counselor, Mrs. Colina. Diaz even manifested her willingness to sign an affidavit of loss.

"However, without my consent and contrary to our agreement at the principal's office, my son who is a minor, was made to sign an affidavit of loss at the insistence of Mrs. Diaz," read Valencia's letter.

The loss of the report card was discovered when another teacher required Qynn to submit it.

Valencia further narrated that a Mrs. Villordon, the fourth year adviser, arranged for her son's Math subject, handled by Diaz, to be transferred to mornings because it was his only subject in the afternoon. Diaz reportedly agreed with Villordon's request but when Qynn showed up during her morning Math class, Diaz told him for every student to hear that he did not belong in that class.

"(It caused) too much embarrassment to my son. My son felt so humiliated. She did the same act as what she had done in the 3rd year Math class of my son. Because of the incident, my son never went back to his Math subject until he was dropped from the class," read the letter.

She said she complained to the principal, but nothing happened. She is asking the anti-graft office to conduct an investigation on whether Diaz is not administratively and criminally liable for child abuse. (THE FREEMAN)