Netizens rage over video of school exec torching students’ bags

CHARRED REMAINS Students sift through what remained of their bags to recover clothes, cell phones or laptops after a Bicol Central Academy school official ordered them burned, as seen in another photo showing the bags in flames, as punishment for students who did not comply with the no-bag policy on Friday in Libmanan, Camarines Sur province. —EARL VINCENT CAÑAVERAL

Filipinos on the internet erupted in anger against a Bicol school official for allegedly ordering the torching of the bags of students who had violated a “no-bag” rule imposed for a school activity.

A shaky video of the bags in flames and pictures showing their burnt remains at Bicol Central Academy in Libmanan, Camarines Sur province, have gone viral with fuming netizens calling for punishment of the school authorities, particularly the school head, Alexander James Jaucian, who was recorded berating the students, calling them “stupid” for bringing the bags to school.

“Bags of students who failed to comply with the no-bag policy set for the school’s event today have been confiscated and burned in the school quadrangle. The said bag contains school stuff, clothings, cp and laptops. Sadly, the school involved is my alma mater. Shame,” Earl Vincent Cañaveral (@Surrearlism) tweeted on Friday.

By early evening on Saturday, Cañaveral’s post had been retweeted at least 6,945 times and earned more than 15,500 likes.

‘Tasumaki Day’

Cañaveral explained that the no-bag policy was implemented only for the school’s “Tasumaki Day” when students were asked to act as teachers while their teachers were in a conference.

In answer to a query from one tweeter, he said several laptops and cell phones exploded as they burned.

@theRainShowers was appalled by the school head’s action.

“Seriously? This is incomprehensible! Students’ non-compliance is an offense that merits protocol … Is it difficult to think or resort to manage a bag counter for all confiscated items?” she said.

An enraged @karujasutin said the school had “absolutely no right to burn the bags of the students just because they didn’t comply with the policy!!! this is insane.”

Another said that if her child’s bag was one of those burned, the school official “had better hide.”

“The parents of students must [make] an action and (he should pay [for] the property of the students that had been burned. The parents of the students should unite),” @MariaOroga said.

@Jayru01438039 saw the school official’s action as a “clear picture of power tripping,”adding that he “should not be teaching at all.”

Crossed the line

“(If I were a parent of one of the) students I will file charges against him and against the school for allowing such. It crossed the line,” he said.

“Sir, we had enough. This is not education at all,” another twitted.

Cañaveral said pouches were allowed to be carried into school, but many of the students brought big bags that contained a change of clothes as required by other school activities that day.

“When they were at the waiting area, the school head saw these bags and raged out,” Cañaveral told Inquirer.net. “He asked a school staff to confiscate the bags and asked the students to line up in the quadrangle.”

School authorities have not issued any statement and Jaucian could not immediately be located.