School breaks silence on gun poking case

MANILA, Philippines - The Colegio de San Agustin (CSA) has broken its silence on an alleged gun poking involving the father of one of its students last Aug. 30.

In a three-page message addressed to parents and guardians dated Oct. 3 and signed by the school’s rector Fr. Horacio Rodriguez, the school said it “abhors violence and any use of force in its community.”

The school also justified its silence on the issue, saying they had to “fairly and fully investigate the reasons that led to the incident.”

“We are currently working and cooperating with authorities to solve this issue which unfortunately is a first for CSA and in the Philippines, as far as we know. Any educational institution faced with a similar incident will be shocked as we were given the circumstances.

“Our silence did not mean inaction in our part but rather a time to fully and fairly investigate the reasons leading to the unfortunate incident which occurred in our school premises and to undertake the necessary steps to ensure the safety of the CSA community,” the message said.

The school said precautions and measures to prevent future acts of violence inside the campus are being implemented.

The CSA added it has coordinated with the Dasmariñas Village Association for the strict implementation of guidelines on the entry of persons and vehicles into the campus.