School Says Faceboook ‘Bikini’ Case Is About Taking Responsibility

[FlyAway]

Now this story could have some far reaching ramifications. Here we have an arm of the Catholic Church filing criminal charges against parents of the girls?

For those that do not know the full story, there were a few young ladies banned from attending their graduation ceremony at a private Catholic school because of photos of them on Facebook in bikini's and being caught drinking I believe. The girls parents got a court order allowing them to attend graduation. The school security guards would not allow the process server and the accompanying sheriff onto the grounds to serve the order on the school officials.

http://newsinfo.inqu...esponsibility-2

First the students, now their parents.

The case of five St. Theresa’s high school students who were barred from attending their March 30 graduation for posting “lewd” photos of themselves on Facebook, took a different twist when the private school decided to file criminal charges against the parents and a guardian of four of the girls.

The girls’ elders were accused of violating the special law on child abuse by “failing to supervise their minor children/ward.”

The criminal complaint was filed with the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office by the STC directress, Sister Purisima Pe, ICM; assistant principal Mussolini Yap; and three alumni members

One girl and her mother were spared from the latest charge because they withdrew their earlier lawsuit against STC after reaching a settlement with the school.

The latest criminal charge appeared as a counterstrike, after the Catholic school was sued for damages and injunction last March and then criminal charges for grave oral defamation.

In yesterday’s complaint filed by STC, Sister Pe, the school directress, accused the parents and one guardian of the girls of causing their children “to lead an immoral and dissolute life.”

“(The) parents/guardian clearly failed to supervise their minor children/ward. They further failed to instill in them the virtues required to be instilled on these minors, both by law and our traditions,” the school officials and alumnae said in their joint complaint-affidavit filed before the Cebu City Prosecutors’ Office.

“The effect now of the failure of respondents to discipline their children is that these children see nothing wrong with their act of drinking, smoking and exposing their bodies to the public,” they added.

The plaintiffs include Salome Lape, Maria Teresa Atienza, and Jo-ann Zaldumbide who were described as “civic-minded, law-abiding citizens” who are STC alumni and/or parents with children enrolled in STC who are suing “as concerned citizens.”

CDN and several other media outlets have refrained from naming the girls, who at 16 years old are minors, ever since the controversy broke a few days before STC’s graduation rites.

The latest complaint filed by the school accused the parents and a guardian of violating Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act in relation to Presidential Decree 603 or the Child and Youth Welfare Code.

The parents’ lawyer Cornelio Mercado called the complaint “ridiculous”.

“I’m speechless. Ka-grabe. Di na ko kasabot. (That’s too much. I can’t understand that.),” Mercado told Cebu Daily News.

He said he would follow up with another complaint against STC for bringing dishonor on his clients.

“For them to file a case and accuse parents with this grave offense is inviting another charge. Filing that ridiculous complaint speaks a lot about who they are,” Mercado said.

“Let the court decide. Let them prove their allegations. They are aggravating the issues,” he added.

The case involves candid photos posted in Facebook of five girls, who belong to the same barkada. They were allegedly taken in at least three incidents, a birthday party in a Mactan resort, in a bar that served liquor, and on the street with Sinulog revelers.

As punishment, the school banned the high school seniors from attending the commencement exercise, while letting them girls graduate with a grade of “C” in the subject of “Personality”.

In a separate interview, one of the parents who got sued said they are willing to answer the accusations leveled against them.

“They (STC officials) have all the right to file countercharges. Anyway, filing is different from winning,” the mother told CDN.

She insisted there was “nothing lewd, obscene, and immoral” in the candid photographs where her daughter appeared.

“We will definitely answer the accusations. It’s part of due process.” she said. The Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office will ask the respondents to file counter-affidavits.

79 years

In their joint-affdaivit, the plaintiffs said STC has been existing for 79 years, “molding ladies into mature, responsible and self-disciplined members of the society in the light of the teaching of the Holy Catholic Church.”

It recounted how last February, computer teacher Mylene Escudero and STC discipline-in0charge Kristine Rose-Tigol showed to the assistant principal some photos posted on the Facebook page of one of the students.

When the Facebook page was viewed, it showed more photos of three other students.

The complaint said one girl was shown drinking liquor in a bar and then in the streets of Cebu “showing off, and in a very pronounced manner, her black brassiere”.

Two other girls were shown drinking liquor in a bar in the Asiatown IT park, while one of them was smoking a cigarette.

The STC complaints said that under the Anti-Child Abuse Law and an ordinance of Cebu City, minors are not permitted inside a bar.

The computer teacher downloaded the photos to her flash drive. The photos were shown to the girls who were punished for violating rules in the Daily Guide of the Students and he school’s handbook.

STC invoked article six, section 10 of Republic Act 7610 which punishes “acts of neglect, abuse, cruelty, or exploitation and other conditions prejudicial to the child’s development.

This provision states that “any person” who commits these acts shall suffer imprisonment of prision mayor in it minimum period.

The school also invoked provision of Presidential Decree 603 Child and Youth Welfare Code which states that “parents and guardians are responsible for the damage caused by the child under their parental authority.”

STC said the law sanctions any parent “who causes or encourages the child to lead an immoral or dissolute life.”

“Parents are vicariously liable for acts or omissions of their minor children,” the plaintiffs said.

They said there were photos of the girls which showed that they were permitted to drink hard liquor or tequila, enter bars and other places of amusements off-limits to minors, smoke, and roam around clad in indecent or skimpy clothing.

“(The girls’ actuations) are conclusive evidence of lack of parental control and supervision.

Respondents encouraged these minors to lead an immoral and dissolute life. Parents and guardian even faulted the school and filed cases against it and its administrators and faculty,” the plaintiffs said.

They said one of the parents even issued public statements saying there’s nothing wrong in the acts of the children.

“They (respondents) caused and encouraged these minors to engaged in immoral and disslute life when respondents sued the very persons who disciplined and called the attention of these minors, thereby sending the unlawful message that there is nothing wrong in the illegal and immoral ways of their children,” the plaintiffs said.

“The photographs all show that had these parents not been irresponsible and neglectful of their duties…, these children would not have done the unlawful and immoral acts of drinking, smoking, gallivanting around town wearing almost nothing. They would not have been lacking in restraint and lacking in sense of what is fundamentally right and wrong and decent,” they added.

[billten]

IMO this is arrogance plain and simple. If the parents has kneeled and kissed the ring when the nun's called their daughters whores 'no problem'. But when the parents suggested that there should be a separation between church / school and home life, brrrrr. "Challenge our right to tell you how to live your life would you".

The people who run that school feel they have the right to tell all the parents everywhere exactly how to raise their children, they are right and you are wrong, because obviously, they have God on their side.

[Tukaram (Tim)]

Another reason I can't stand organized religion. And you see why the American Founders wanted the church out of the government. (although never clearly stated in the Constitution you can read correspondence and later writings to see their original intent).

The bishops et al just need to get laid and relax.

And another good example why you shouldn't put your whole ?????? life online

[Mike S]

Well all I can say is if they church wants to go about bringing charges of “acts of neglect, abuse, cruelty, or exploitation and other conditions prejudicial to the child’s development." .... then they are going to be to busy in the coming years to stick their nose in anything else ...... just take a walk or drive along any street here in Cebu and look at the kids .... and now tell me if the church is going to go about bringing charges to ALL these parents ..... but I guess kids running naked or half naked .... dirt .... stealing from people .... sniffing rugby .... darting in and out into traffic ..... my god ... I could just go on for ever and ever ...... now I'm not saying ALL parents allow their kids to do this but certainty enough to keep the church and courts busy for the next 100 years ....

By the way ..... I have never understood how a security guard has the power to STOP a sheriff or policeman from serving a court order .....

[Tukaram (Tim)]

Really they need to look at cleaning out their own house first. You know, the whole casting stones... and those without sin... It is all about control.

~Edit~

By the way ..... I have never understood how a security guard has the power to STOP a sheriff or policeman from serving a court order .....

Because the supposedly real police are afraid of pissing off the church police.

Edited May 3, 2012 by Tuka Ram

[Ashanti]

I think expats have taken this whole STC thing out of context. Not that STC haven’t overreached themselves, mind.

I must say I totally disagree with STC’s court case on parental responsibility. That is what wholly refer to STC over reaching.

As to the bikini photos, I likened it to any schools in the West, where drinking and smoking even outside the school was heavily and active frowned upon by school administrators, (mind, Im only speaking for UK). Where criticism from locals of the students conduct outside the school are acted upon by school administrators.

STC have always been known as conservative and an elitist school in Cebu. It is actually one of their strengths hence a lot of parents send their children to STC if they can afford the astronomical fees. Local parents and prospective students that enrolled in STC are well aware that as students they are expected to conduct themselves with DECORUM at all times least they tarnished the schools reputation. Loutish or free spirited behaviour is definitely off the menu.

The students flaunted the unwritten rules and have now reaped what they sowed. To be brutally honest, I have no sympathy for them although I find STCs stand too harsh. Not that it surprised me knowing what STC is like. Now it looks like both sides are digging in their heels – so expect further fireworks to come!

[JJReyes]

Philippines has made progress. Private schools no longer practice corporal punishment using the infamous "board of education." My parents were also liberal conservatives. They never made good on the threat to send me to a reform military school.

My four sisters attended a convent school in the Philippines with a very strict dress code. It was even stricter for them when we were living in Spain. This was during the Franco dictatorship. Women and young girls were required to wear skirts that covered their ankles. Their blouse sleeves had to cover their elbows. If caught, the Guardia Civilia reprimanded you in public. They did not care we had diplomatic immunity. My wife and I traveled throughout Spain in the mid-1970s. We were reprimanded twice for holding hands. I kept repeating, "Con Matrimonio." (married). They didn't care. Holding hands in public was considered an immoral act.

[sonjack2847]

This reminds me of when I went to catholic school in the UK. The school got involved with your home life and were not backward in telling you how to run it. When I was 2 years 8 months old I had a very bad accident and my mother was in hospital having my younger brother, WHERE was the church then, nowhere to be seen. My father was left to bring up 4 kids and he had his wife and 2 children in hospital. What is wrong about this story is that the school or church is taking only some of the parents to court. The ones that they are not taking to court are the ones who did not take them to court and it seems one of the parents who is not being taken to court is something to do with the school.I know the church does a lot of good but as Mike s says what about the children running around STC which I see everyday they don`t take those parents to court and they are far more neglected than those students. So this is hypocritical as far as I am concerned. Having said that the parents and children knew the school rules so should have been more discreet. I suppose it keeps the lawyers in work and as they say "it is more fun in the Philippines"

[scott h]

As the son of a high school Vice Principal, I have vivid memories of my dad pulling over the family car at a hamburger stand. Getting out of the car, snatching the cigarettes out of the mouths of two young men and berating them then and there (early 60's). Don't know if those young men still smoke or not, but an on the spot correction was made of the offenders. Could it be if more institutions tried to uphold some of the "rules" some of the social problems we have today might be fewer?

On a side note, only in the RP can a security guard with 1 bullet and a billy club turn away a cop lolol

[billten]

What is wrong about this story is that the school or church is taking only some of the parents to court.

EXACTLY. All this talk about standards and moral code and such. The family who kneeled down, no problem, no law suit, the ones who refuse, bad parents...

Hmmm, double standards or what, both sets of kids and both sets of parents did the same thing, just one set kissed ass, the others didn't.