MANILA, Philippines—National Bureau of Investigation agents arrested the academic director of a school in Mandaluyong City on Thursday and charged him with acts of lasciviousness after he allegedly had oral sex with a teenage student in exchange for a passing grade.
Head agent Cesar Bacani of the NBI’s anti-fraud division said the suspect, identified as Faustino Ticman Jr, 47, academic director of the St. John Bosco Institute of Arts and Sciences, was to undergo inquest proceedings Friday at the Department of Justice.
The officer handling the case, agent Normando Anire, said Ticman sexually abused a 17-year-old student who was failing in his management subject.
Anire said Ticman admitted performing oral sex on the student but claimed it was the student who had suggested it in order to pass his subject.
“This is a classic case of ‘kuatro o kuarto’,” Anire said, using a play on the Tagalog words for “four” and “room” which translates literally into “a failing grade of 4 or going into a room.”
Anire said the freshman management student was accompanied by his mother to the NBI where the victim tearfully narrated his experience.
“He appeared to have been traumatized by the incident and was trembling’ during the interview,” Anire said.
Based on their investigation, Anire said, the victim approached Ticman on April 3 and asked if he could avail himself of a make-up project to pass the subject.
In his affidavit, the victim said that instead of giving him a project to work on, Ticman asked him if he was willing to do something in exchange for a passing mark.
When the victim said yes, Ticman asked the student to massage his hands and then his back.
“After few minutes, the suspect stood up and locked the door of the classroom and brought the victim to a corner of the room and sexually assaulted him,” the NBI said.
The victim’s mother told NBI her son was traumatized by the incident and showed “restlessness and anxiety attacks.’’
The student then told his mother about what happened which led to the filing of the complaint.