Benilde on alleged drug issue: Our primary concern is welfare of students
MANILA, Philippines—“The primary concern of the school is the welfare of the students.”
This was said by Ivy Cruz, a staff member of the Institutional Communications unit of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB), on Tuesday when sought for comment by INQUIRER.net on the column penned by journalist Ramon Tulfo alleging that the sale of drugs was prevalent inside and outside the said school.
“The (DLS-CSB) administration is working very hard to ensure that the students and parents are happy about our services. The primary concern of the school is the welfare of the students. We are really concerned on the welfare of the students and the parents,” Cruz told INQUIRER.net in a phone interview.
In his column published in Tuesday’s issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer entitled “Drugs prevalent at College of St. Benilde,” Tulfo narrated how he knew about the alleged prevalence of illegal drugs in DLS-CSB after his daughter admitted she bought Valium and marijuana at a “coffee shop” near the school.
“Prohibited drugs are sold by some CSB students on and off campus,” Tulfo alleged.
He said that his daughter identified “Beach,” “Barn” and “Plato” as “coffee shops” frequented by students to reportedly buy prohibited drugs from pushers.
Tulfo said that his column served as a warning for parents and children studying in the said school.
“I know that by writing this I would be exposing myself to embarrassment and my daughter to reprisal but I’m concerned about the other children and their parents,” he said.
However, netizens criticized Tulfo for factual errors on his column, saying that the “coffee shops” he identified were actually bars and that the “SBA building” he said on his article should have been “SDA or the School of Design and Arts building.”
According to Cruz, the DLS-CSB administration is yet to issue an official statement addressing the claims made by Tulfo on his column.
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