SCA high school officer-in-charge Michael Lomabao confirmed with Yumul that a mere reprimand – and not expulsion – is the punishment for violators of the English-speaking policy. Bautista’s relative added that if expulsion is a disciplinary action for violating the policy, it should have been indicated in the handbook. “Was the school put to shame ?” the relative said. The handbook was written by Pedro and signed by Shah. The due process includes giving a warning first, and then a conference with parents,” he added. “The handbook also lays out the guidelines in dealing with alleged violations of school codes. Yumul wrote that speaking in the vernacular, according to the handbook, is punishable by a reprimand. But the principal, Cristeta Pedro, told her the president’s decision is final. In view of this, you are advised to transfer to another school effective today July 31, 2013.”Īnother relative of Bautista also talked to the school about the decision, saying the family is not inclined to follow the school’s advice. The school then called Bautista’s mother and handed her this memo that stated: “After you have been warned by Pastor Brian Shah not to speak Iloko, you still continued to defy his order. “You are not respecting my school!” Bautista quoted Shah as saying. When they admitted their “disobedience,” Shah told them to look for another school. The next day, July 31, SCA president Reverend Brian Shah called the 3 to his office and asked them if they violated the policy and spoke in Ilocano. Pictures retrieved by Rappler of SCA’s student handbook show that under “Behavior on and off the campus,” not only students but also parents and chaperons must speak English “at all times within the school compound.”Īs of posting, Rappler could not reach SCA’s lawyer after several attempts. The school allegedly has a reward system for students who report anyone who does not follow an English-speaking policy, Yumul told Rappler over a phone interview on Tuesday, August 6. One of their classmates reported them to the school authorities. Students Kleinee Bautista, Carl Abadilla, and Samuel Respicio – all 13 years old – were in their classroom on July 30 when they spoke in Ilocano during breaktime. In an August 6 blog post, The Ilocos Times columnist Herdy Yumul recounted the story of 3 Grade 8 students, who were reportedly dismissed from Saviour’s Christian Academy (SCA) for speaking in their mother tongue. MANILA, Philippines – It’s Buwan ng Wika, the month when Filipinos are most strongly encouraged to speak in their native languages.Īll this seemed lost, however, on the president of a school in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, when he allegedly threatened with harm and then finally expelled 3 students for speaking Ilocano during a break at the English-speaking campus.