Sued CIS teachers seek time to reply

CEBU, Philippines - Due to the request of the teachers of the Cebu International School that they be allowed to file their counter-affidavits in 20 days, the preliminary investigation of homicide through reckless imprudence filed against them was postponed.

The supposed scheduled preliminary investigation was set last Monday before Prosecutor Gail Stephanie Maderazo of the Department of Justice Central Office.

The case stemmed from the drowning of two students of CIS who were on a field trip to Subic.

Lawyer Edmund Villanueva counsel of CIS superintendent Diedre Fisher and lawyer Estrella Elamparo, counsel of Tayler Herbst, Susan Rigby, Socorro La Plana, Leah Cabanban and Geronimo Alcuro the accompanying teachers, asked Maderazo to give them more time to file their counter-affidavits to answer the allegations filed against them.

However, Maderazo only gave the respondents ten days to file their counter-affidavits or on before Oct. 22, 2012. This was according to a press statement of Celso Espinosa, counsel of the complainant.

Maderazo gave complainant until October 31, 2012 to file their reply to the counter-affidavits of the respondents.

In her complaint, Jacqueline Gullas-Weckman said she was the mother of one of the victims Kyle, 14, a Grade 8 student and one of those who attened the school-organized field trip to the former US Naval Base in Subic, Bataan, and former US Air Base in Clark, Pampanga. 

She said prior to the field trip parents were given an approval and waiver form . There was a separate consent form to allow their children to swim during the scheduled trip and she refused to sign this.

One of the activities submitted to them was on Sept. 12, 2012 to Sitio Kanawan Village for community outreach program and a “small falls trek with survival technique” at Kanawan falls.

In her complaint, Jacqueline said when students and respondents arrived at Kanawan falls at 2 p.m. from an outreach program, respondent Rigby jumped first into the falls and “encouraging” other students to do the same.

She said students jumped into the water together with her son without any vest to protect them from the current, despite the fact that she did not consent for her son to swim, the respondents allowed him to. 

Her son and James Jung, 13, went missing.

Jung was later found deadwhile her son’s body was found the following day.

Jacqueline said the incident happened due to the alleged negligence of the respondents of not guiding their students and not giving warning of possible danger.. –(FREEMAN)