Antipolo LGU assures help for family of student who died after being 'slapped' by teacher
By Nel Andrade
The Antipolo City government has assured assistance to the family of Francis Jay Gumikib, the 14-year-old student who died on Oct. 2 after being allegedly slapped by his teacher.
Antipolo City Mayor Casimiro “Junjun” Ynares III visited the wake of Gumikib at the family’s residence on Oct. 5 and pledged to help the bereaved family in their expenses.
Gumikib died after he went into a coma a few days after he was admitted to the hospital on Sept. 26 for severe earache and vomiting.
Earlier, Antipolo Police Station chief of police Lt. Col. Ryan Manongdo said the teacher told investigators that she only gave Gumikib a tap on his cheek.
However, the victim’s mother, Elena Minggoy, said a classmate of her son claimed that Gumikib received a slap from her Filipino teacher on Sept. 20 when the entire class was unruly.
Minggoy said she rushed her son to the hospital after he complained of persistent pain on his ear a few days after the alleged slapping incident in the school.
The boy’s death certificate shows that the cause of death was due to global brain edema, with an antecedent cause of acute intraparenchymal hemorrhage or bleeding into the brain tissue. Other significant conditions which contributed to his death included presumptive pulmonary tuberculosis and child physical abuse.
Lt. Col. Manongdo said the police will have to wait for the result of the autopsy on the victim to find out if charges of homicide in relation to Republic Act 7610 (Anti-Child Abuse Law) can be filed against the teacher.
The alleged slapping incident involving a teacher of Peńafrancia Elementary School happened ironically during the country’s observance of National Teachers’ Month.
The teacher went on official leave a day after the incident was reported in the media.
Aside from the financial assistance from the Antipolo City government, the family of Gumikib also received help from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
The city government has also pledged to provide livelihood assistance to the parents of the boy, whose father is a buko vendor and the sole breadwinner of the family, and possible educational assistance to the victim’s younger siblings.