The Signal Village National High School (SVNHS) in Taguig should take responsibility for the death of two female students inside its premises last Nov. 10.
This is the demand made by Anakbayan Taguig, a militant youth organization, about students Irish Sheen Manalo, 13, and Mary Nicole Picar, 15, who were found dead at about 11 p.m. on Nov. 10 inside the Girls Scout Mini Office on the third floor of Magsaysay Building of SVNHS in Barangay Central Signal, Taguig.
Picar was a Grade 10 student of SVNHS and a resident of Barangay South Signal, Taguig; while Irish was a Grade 8 student of SVNHS and a resident of Barangay Central Signal.
Irish Sheen Manalo (left) and Mary Nicole Picar (Photos from Rhea Manalo's Facebook post, Instagram)
“Lubos na nakikiramay ang Anakbayan Taguig sa pamilya nina Irish Sheen at Mary. Marapat din lamang na panagutan ng Signal Village National High School ang insidente dahil nangyari ito sa loob ng paaralan (Anakbayan Taguig deeply condoles with the families of Irish Sheen and Mary. It is only appropriate that Signal Village National High School should take responsibility for the incident because it happened inside the school),” according to Anakbayan Taguig.
The Taguig police declared that based on the initial evidence gathered, there was no foul play involved in the death of Manalo and Picar.
“The initial evidence gathered by the Philippine National Police-Taguig and the Scene of Crime Operation (SOCO) do not indicate foul play in the deaths of two female high school students whose lifeless bodies were discovered almost midnight of Friday, Nov 10, at Signal Village National High School,” the Taguig police said in a statement issued on Nov. 11.
A report by the Taguig police stated that a witness, identified as Danielle, 16, a student, said Manalo and Picar were last seen at about 7:45 p.m on Nov. 10 after they told her they went home.
However, it was learned through their Messenger group that the two did not go home. Danielle immediately searched for the victims and found their bodies hanging with a rope tied around their necks and attached to a steel grill in the Girls Scout office. The witness informed the security guards who reported the incident to the Taguig police.
Taguig police chief Col. Robert Baesa said the families of the two students have accepted their explanation that there was no foul play involved in their deaths.
He said the police are awaiting the results of the police’s crime laboratory or forensic unit investigation.
“Antay pa 'yun result ng crime lab, pero initial investigation wala kami nakita foul play (Still waiting for the result of the crime lab but based on our initial investigation, we did not see foul play),” he said.
In a statement, Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano instructed authorities to hold a thorough investigation about the tragic incident.
The Department of Education (DepEd) issued a statement on Nov. 11, saying. “The Department of Education (DepEd) is immensely saddened by the loss of two of our learners from Signal Village National High School (SVNHS). The DepEd fully commits to cooperate with the PNP Taguig regarding this matter, and is committed towards the swift and expeditious conduct of the ongoing investigation,” it said.
It added, “We express our deepest sympathies to the families. The loss of young lives is a devastating blow to any community. Likewise, the Department appeals to the public to respect the privacy of the families during this tragic time.”