Solon wants probe into Bulacan students' drowning
August 22, 2014 | 11:28am
MANILA, Philippines - A legislator has called for an investigation into the drowning of seven college students in a river in San Miguel, Bulacan during a school-sanctioned field trip.
Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo, chairman of the House committee on higher and technical education, said criminal and administrative investigations into the drowning of seven Bulacan State University (BSU) students should be conducted.
“We are counting on the authorities to get to the bottom of the horrible tragedy, and to take the appropriate actions against those accountable for possible criminal negligence,” Romulo said.
“We want answers. Just like the parents of the victims, we want to know why their sons and daughters were recklessly exposed to such extreme danger in the course of what should have been a trouble-free school outing,” he added.
The BSU students drowned on Tuesday when a flash flood swept them as they were crossing the Madlum River during a field study at the Biak-na-Bato National Park in San Miguel town.
The victims were part of a group of about 180 BSU College of Tourism students on the school jaunt.
“Way back in September 2004, eight people on a picnic, mostly children and teenagers, were also swept away when the Madlum River suddenly burst its banks due to rapid flooding,” Romulo said.
“The river and its banks are clearly unsafe, especially during the rainy season. The students should not have been there at this time of the year,” he added.
Romulo urged universities to exercise effective guardianship of their students during off campus educational activities, saying the students' safety should be assured at all times.
A Commission on Higher Education official earlier said that those who will be found responsible for the tragedy may face criminal, civil and administrative charges.
The victims were identified as Mikhail Alcantara, Philip Rodney Alejo, Maiko Bartolome, Michelle Ann Rose Bonzo, Helena Marcelo, Madel Navarro and Jeanette Rivera.
The BSU has already formed a committee “to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of the tragedy.”
The school has also vowed “to take decisive measures” based on the panel’s findings.
The university has expressed its condolences to the bereaved families and offered them immediate assistance.
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