By FRANCK DICK ROSETE
Bulatlat.com
CAGAYAN DE ORO — Two students aged 21 and 19 from Central Mindanao University in Maramag, Bukidnon died in two separate accidents on Oct. 23 as then tropical storm (later named Severe Tropical Storm Kristine) hit the province early this week.
Maramag police told Bulatlat that the 21-year-old male student collided with a parked truck while he was on his way to the state university. A separate statement issued by Kabataan Partylist said the thick layer of fog on the road that day could have lowered visibility.
Another 19-year-old male student died after a tree hit him within the university premises due to strong winds.
In a statement, Kabataan Partylist – Northern Mindanao Region (KP-NMR) mourned their deaths, saying such could have been avoided if the state university prioritized the students’ safety over schedules and policies.
“The administration’s delayed and indifferent response to the dangerous weather is a betrayal of its duty to safeguard its students,” the group said.
Kabataan Partylist said higher education institutions have the responsibility to suspend classes when students’ safety is at risk, citing Memorandum Order No. 15, Series of 2012 of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
The CHED memorandum states that classes at the tertiary level, including graduate school, in affected areas of weather disturbances “are automatically canceled or suspended when Signal No. 3 is raised” by the state weather bureau.
Although there was no such signal number being raised by PAGASA for the region prior to the incidents, some parts of Northern Mindanao were affected by the trough of then-tropical storm Kristine, prompting some local government units to impose class suspension.
In Bukidnon, the municipalities of Kitaotao, Kibawe, Pangantucan, and Dangcagan suspended the classes from primary to tertiary levels in all public and private schools on October 22 based on the authorities’ monitoring.
The towns of Talisayan, Sugbongcogon, Salay, and Magsaysay in Misamis Oriental province; Don Victoriano in Misamis Occidental, and the entire province of Camiguin also did the same implementation.
“CMU remained complacent. CMU could have done [an] online mode of classes if the weather is [not] safe for the students. Students were left to fend for themselves, and now we mourn lives lost,” Kabataan Partylist 5th Nominee Jayvie Cabajes said.
In a Facebook post, CMU identified the students as Joshua Dacillo Fronteras, 21, and Maxwell Aynrand Hablo Cubillas, 19.
Kabataan Partylist NMR said the university must be held accountable. They also urged university officials to re-examine safety protocols.
“This must serve as a lesson to all administrations. They should not be negligent if the safety of the students is at stake. They must be proactive in taking additional steps to ensure students’ safety,” Cabajes urged.
The CMU Supreme Student Council already initiated a donation drive to help the families of the victims.
Their friends and classmates also honored the two students for being kind and supportive in a candle-lighting activity in front of the CMU administration building on October 24. (JJE, RVO)
