PHSA exec urges alleged abuse victims to bring complaints to proper forum

Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) Executive Director Josue Greg Zuniega on Friday encouraged the victims of alleged abuse at the school to come forward and bring their complaints in the proper forum.

Although he expressed sympathy toward the victims, the PHSA lamented the "trial by media" after the issue of alleged abuses in the state-run elite arts school was reported.

"'Yung iba po, karamihan sa social media lang po nagke-kwento. Ine-encourage po namin sila na lumapit para magkaroon tayo ng tamang proseso para pakinggan natin ito," Zuniega said during the Senate Basic Education organizational meeting.

"Unfortunately, po ang nangyari po dito ay naging trial by media na. So para maging malinis ang ating proseso po ay idaan po sana natin sa tamang paraan, sa tamang forum at ito po ang ine-encourage po natin," he added.

(Most of the victims narrated their experience on social media. We encourage them to come forward so we can tackle it through the right process. Unfortunately, what happened here is trial by media. We should bring this to the right forum so we can undertake the right process.)

Zuniega said the PHSA's committee on decorum and investigation was already investigating these alleged abuses inside the campus.

He told the Senate panel that the National Bureau of Investigation was also probing the issue but no formal complaints had been filed with the investigative body.

Zuniega said the NBI as well as the local police had already asked for the contact information of the said victims of abuse.

The authorities managed to contact some of them but no one pushed through with the filing of cases, he added.

Zuniega informed the committee that one of the teachers who was allegedly involved in the issue had already passed away last year.

"Meron po tayong alegasyon concerning isang teacher na namatay na po siya. Wala na po siya, namatay na po siya last year," he said.

Senator Robin Padilla asked Zuniega to disclose the nature of the said teacher's death but the PHSA head asked to disclose it privately as it was "controversial."

The Department of Education in July coordinated with the NBI to investigate allegations of emotional, verbal, and sexual abuse at the Philippine High School for the Arts in Los Baños, Laguna.

Vice President Sara Duterte, the secretary of education, has requested the NBI to submit a comprehensive report regarding the issue as soon as possible. —NB, GMA News