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BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya: A Catholic schoolteacher has been
suspended by his superiors for having allegedly molested some
pupils, a move in anticipation of the filing of criminal charges
against the suspect by parents of the allegedly molested pupils.
The police blotter indicated that Angelito
Alipio, suspended for a month at the Church-run Saint Catherine
School in Bambang town, is the subject of sexual harassment
complaints by nine of his pupils before the town’s police and
social welfare and development office.
“He was already suspended for one month
last February 18 even though he has yet to be proven guilty by his
accusers. The complaints against him may be overreactions,” said a
high-ranking school official, requesting not to be identified since
he has no authority to be issuing any statement on the matter.
In their complaint filed before the police and
social welfare office, the female victims, ages 10 to 12 years old
and from prominent and influential families in the province, said
that Alipio usually made sexual advances by fondly stretching the
straps of their bras, embracing some of them while making remarks
allegedly with sexual connotations.
But some colleagues of the suspect claimed that
such actions may be just sincere fatherly gestures and that the
complainants may have misinterpreted the teacher’s intentions.
SPO4 Revelita Marzan of the Bambang town’s
children and women’s desk, said that the pupils, with their
parents, along with social welfare officer Miriam Pinaroc, came to
their office and formally filed the report over Alipio’s alleged
sexual advances.
Alipio’s suspension by Church authorities came
while parents of the complainants were readying a formal case of
sexual harassment before the prosecutor’s office.
-- Francis C. Hidalgo Jr.
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