Teacher Who Slapped Student Resulting in His Death Suspended for 90 Days; Student Has Tuberculosis

Teacher under preventive suspension after tragic student incident

SUSPENDED for 90 DAYS – The teacher, who slapped a 14-year-old student in Antipolo City resulting in the latter’s death, has been placed by the Department of Education (DepEd) under a 90-day preventive suspension. This suspension was enforced while the administrative proceedings against the teacher are currently in progress.

However, the education department emphasized that this suspension should not be interpreted as a punitive action but rather as a precautionary step taken while the investigation is still ongoing. Francis Jay Gumikib, the victim, tragically passed away after falling into a coma several days after reportedly being physically struck by his Filipino subject teacher at Peñafrancia Elementary School.

The results of the medico-legal examination to determine the cause of his death are expected to be released within a week, as confirmed by Hector Sorra, who holds the position of Chief in the Medico-Legal Division of the PNP Forensics Group. This statement was made on Monday.

In response to this heartbreaking incident, the DepEd Schools Division Office had previously announced the formation of a fact-finding investigation team last week. Their primary task is to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Gumikib. Additionally, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has initiated an independent investigation into this matter to ensure a comprehensive and unbiased examination of the incident.

Meanwhile, the Grade 5 student who tragically passed away after allegedly being slapped by his teacher has been found to have tuberculosis. According to Hector Sorra, the Chief of the Medico-Legal Division of the Philippine National Police (PNP), it was discovered that the student, Francis Jay Gumikib, had pulmonary tuberculosis in his lungs.