Homicide raps slapped on tutor for boy's death

Government prosecutors filed yesterday before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court a homicide case under the anti-child abuse law against public school teacher Laila de Ocampo in connection with a pupil's death last Dec. 9.

In upholding the earlier ruling of Assistant City Prosecutor Lorna Chua-Cheng, Chief Prosecutor Claro Arellano recommended no bail for the 35-year-old Payatas Elementary School teacher accused of causing the death of nine-year-old Ronald Dacarra.

A check of court records showed the case was elevated to the Quezon City Regional Trial Court last Friday. The chief prosecutor, however, ordered it withdrawn yesterday, saying it will have to be submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman for review because the case involved a government employee.

Under the anti-child abuse law, the offense is punishable by a 40-year jail term when the victim is under 12 years old.

De Ocampo was accused of banging Dacarra's head with that of his classmate Lorendo Orayan for arriving late in class. The boy later went home complaining of severe headaches. Her mother, who revealed the boy had suffered head injuries in a vehicular accident in 1997, first brought him to a herbal doctor. When her son's condition did not improve, she took him to the East Avenue Medical Center, where the boy died four days later.