Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) released a statement earlier today regarding the incident where a parent allegedly threatened a teacher with a gun for giving a bad grade.
The statement said that after reviewing the CCTV footage, no gun was actually pulled out, like what had been earlier reported, but the parent did come to the school with bodyguards and relatives to threaten the teacher.|
“When a parent accompanied by relatives and body guards comes in brandishing statements like ‘WE ARE A FAMILY OF LAWYERS AND KILLERS!’ or ‘WE CAN TAKE DOWN THIS SCHOOL’ — these are statements the ADDU as a University can only take very seriously as they threaten the safety and security of its personnel,” the school’s president Joel Tabora, who is also a Jesuit priest, said in the statement.
The statement said the person who made the threat was a lawyer and “public official” without naming who the person was or what position they held.
He said the parent and public official, is expected to be a good example “whose public office is not to be regarded as license to strong-arm teachers into doing what the public servant demands.”
“Especially when said public official is also a member of the Philippine Bar where public displays of arrogant intimidation such as this one rightfully deserve sanctions as they run contrary to their Lawyer’s Oath,” Tabora said.
He also said that there is a process for parents who have complaints or feel like their student was being treated unfairly.
“As a matter of policy, students are expected to present their side personally before said body, as it is part of the formative aspect of an Ateneo education to train them to be self-reliant and independent young adults,” Tabora said.
“Parents who intervene on their child’s behalf (no matter how noble their intentions) are often reminded of this as their intervention may only detract from the objective of teaching a child how to stand on his/her own two feet.”
Davao City is the hometown of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who attended Ateneo de Davao high school when he was younger but was later expelled.
Tabora said that even if there was no gun involved the incident “was nonetheless reprehensible insofar as statements were made that were clearly intended to intimidate.”
He said that “no actual gun at hand was necessary to be intimidating” and that the university was looking into filing charges against those involved.
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