PTA Lament Injunction, Blame Conspiracy between Camacho, DepEd Brass

BAYAMBANG – Members of the striking Parents Teachers Association of the Central Elementary School here lamented the decision of Judge Hermogenes Fernandez of the Regional Trial Court in San Carlos City after he replaced his 20 days Temporary Restraining Order for an Indefinite Mandatory Injunction for the pupils not to return to the school.

CONSPIRACY EXPOSED. Parents-Teachers Association’s President Filipina Alcantara  (with microphone) exposed the conspiracy of Bayambang Mayor Ricardo Camacho and the high officials of the Department of Education in Region-1 in abandoning the Bayambang Central School in violation of the DepEd Service Manual. The PTA and other caused oriented groups rallied last October 7 in front of the razed 100 years old U.S type Gabaldon Building to commemorate the one year anniversary when teachers and students were forced to relocate in another controversial school site. 

Filipina Alcantara, the PTA President, said that her group was helpless when the Department of Education - Pangasinan 1 officials had been threatened with contempt of court from the judge if they would not heed the Executive Order of Mayor Ricardo Camacho that they relocate to the new school building.

The Injunction will last until the row between Petitioner Camacho and Respondents Dep Ed officials would be resolved by the court.

They initially defied the Order as it runs smack to DepEd Service Manual while Camacho coaxed them to leave as the students would be vulnerable to dengue and flood because the school have been left unkempt.

But with a good Samaritan willing to bankroll the repair of the school and a lawyer who is willing to help them question the Indefinite Mandatory Injunction issued by the judge that they remain at the remote new school unrecognized by the Department of Education, their struggle to fight for the return of the students to the Central School in Barangay Zone 2 here would have been galvanized.

She said that after Mayor Camacho issued an Executive Order after he received a spurious resolution from the then officers of the PTA headed by former President Alex Medrano, teachers from Grades 3, 4, and 6 disobeyed the Order as it contravenes on the Service Manual.

She said the consultation was fraudulent as there was no direct meeting with the parents. She cited too that the new school’s site entails them to shell more fare as it is two kilometers away from the old school.

Alcantara said that the dengue issue and the flood problem have been the scare of the mayor to allegedly perpetuate his scheme to dig a treasure buried by Japanese soldiers, build a mall, and construct a transportation terminal.

LEFT TO ELEMENTS AND THIEVES. The pathetic sights of one of the rooms of the Central School in Bayambang, Pangasinan that was left to the elements and thieves who took with gusto many of the doors, ceilings, black boards, iron grills, to name a few. Filipina Alcantara, the Parents –Teachers Association president, said the school principal Danilo Lopez and Bayambang Mayor Ricardo Camacho did not put a guard to watch and safeguard the school properties.

“Ito po ay gawa-gawa lamang at sa katunayan, wala ni anumang datus na nakapagpatunay na ang Bayambang Central School ay may mga biktima ng sakit ng dengue na siya unang-una nila itong dahilan. Pangalawa, hindi rin po totoo ang dahilang binabaha ang nasabing paaralan sapagkat ang tanging may kagagawan nito ay ang drainage system ng naturang bayan ng Bayambang. Pagmasdan ninyo ang munisipyo sa tuwing umuulan, hindi ba ang munisipyo dapat ang unang pag-tutu-unan? Ang ayusin ang drainage system ng bayan? Kung mayroong maayos na drainage system ang ating bayan tiyak wala rin tubig na papasok  sa paaralan,” she stressed in her manifesto.

She denounced too the regional and provincial DepEd officials for conspiring with Camacho in allowing that the injunction would go beyond the 20 days TRO.

“Ang bali-balita po namin dito hangang sa DepEd Regional Office nagkaroon po ng bayaran. Hangang sa School Division Superintendent, sabi nila meron ding pong bayad”.

She said the school Principal Danilo Lopez, who was lately charged with corruption at the Ombudsman for purportedly pocketing school funds,  had conflicting answers when asked when did he gets the money to buy his new Adventure’s Asian Utility Vehicle after he succeeded in persuading to the new site all the teachers and the students.

“Sabi niya ano daw iyon regalo po daw ng anak niya tapos second time nagkita kami sabi nya loan kaya hindi namin alam ang totoo “.

The rally that ensued here last October 7 was not only participated by the PTA but by the Samahan ng Namnama, and  Balay Congregate Military Reservation.

They commemorated the one year anniversary when the students and teachers were forced to abandon their cherish school because of the fear of contempt of court unless they transfer to the new school site whose land title is under the name of William Chua  - the owner of the chains of 168 malls.

A source, who asked anonymity, at the rally said the Central School’s pre-war eight-room Gabaldon building was gutted by fire in a mysterious way in June 2012. While other school buildings around it after the fire were still conducive to learning, the sheer negligence of Flores by not putting a guard resulted to many of the schools’ doors, ceiling, iron grills, black boards, and others have been stashed away by thieves who could perpetuate their acts unhampered in the premises.