The Muntinlupa City police said there was no foul play in the death of a student at San Beda College Alabang last Feb. 9 and declared it as a case of suicide.
At about 12:05 p.m. on Feb. 9, a 17-year-old Grade 12 student fell from the sixth floor of a building at San Beda College Alabang in Muntinlupa, the police said.
A canteen concessionaire told the police that she saw the student fall to the ground after she parked her vehicle in front of the building. She immediately reported the incident and was assisted by a school nurse.
The student, a resident of BF Homes, Parañaque City, was brought to the Asian Hospital and Medical Center in Alabang for treatment. However, the student was declared dead at 1:16 p.m. by the attending physician.
According to the Muntinlupa police, there was no foul play in the death of the student.
After the incident, San Beda College Alabang Rector and President Fr. Gerardo Ma. De Villa issued a statement to apologize to the community.
The school excused students and staff who felt traumatized by the incident from going to school from Feb. 13 to 15.
“As your Rector, I sincerely apologize for everything that may have caused you pain in the wake of the unfortunate events, and I urge everybody to be guided by charity in thought, word, and deed. I pray that the virtue of charity in us may reign over the grief and disappointments – and even anger – we are going through, and may we all emerge from these experiences more resilient in facing life's traumas,” said De Villa.
San Beda College Alabang faced criticism from parents over the way it handled the situation especially for students who saw the incident.
The hashtag #BedaDoBetter trended on Twitter as netizens scored the school’s guidance counselor for what he said to students about the incident.
In a video shared on social media, Joel Ventura told San Beda Collega Alabang students in a classroom, “Please do not exaggerate the picture. Do not exaggerate it. Kung ano lang nakita nyo yun lang (What you saw, that’s it).”
“You feel sad about it, okay. Pero if you are going to exaggerate your feelings on that one part of that picture, that is totally wrong. Kasi kapiraso lang naman yung nakita nyo tapos apektado kayo buong araw (Because you only saw a small part of it and then you are affected the whole day). Remember, this is an accident,’” he said.
"SANBEDA DO BETTER, GIVE THE MIC TO PROFESSIONALS NOT TO THE NAIVE PERSON," one netizen posted on Twitter along with the video of Ventura's talk with students.
One parent, Shine Ordoñez-Ancheta, posted an open letter to the school and said parents were “kept in the dark” about what happened to the students on campus after the fall incident.
On Feb. 13, San Beda College Alabang shared Ventura’s apology on its Facebook page.
“Dearest Bedans, I express my sincerest apology for the unpleasant effects of my words, as seen in the video that captured a portion of my session with you last Friday,” said Ventura.
“I regret that this incident has caused added pain to you in a grievous and painful moment. I acknowledge that my words did not have the favorable effect I intended to communicate. As some students reacted, my words made them feel invalidated and ignored, which I totally regret,” the guidance counselor said.
He added, “I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me and believe that my intention was purely to help you deal with the pain and fears you are experiencing. I assure you that I am committed to serving you better, both personally and professionally. I pray that peace and healing reign in our hearts in these trying times.”