Teacher to face trial for death of pupil

By Julmunir I Jannaral
THE Supreme Court (SC) yesterday ordered the prosecution of a grade school teacher who allegedly knocked the heads of two of her students together in 1999, causing the death of one.
Associate Justice Antonio Carpio of the SC’s Third Division dismissed a petition by accused Laila de Ocampo seeking to nullify resolution of the justice department finding probable cause against her for homicide and for violation of the Child Abuse Act.
The high court junked the contention of de Ocampo that the head-banging incident was not the proximate cause of the death of the nine-year-old student, Ronald Dacarra.
Dacarra’s mother, Magdalena, filed a complaint on December 4, 1999, after her son complained of dizziness upon arriving home from school.
Magdalena said her son later admitted that his teacher banged his head against that of a classmate identified as Lorendo Orayan.
The following morning, Dacarra took her son to the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City due to continued vomiting.
Doctors then conducted an x-ray on Ronald’s head and found that his head had a fracture. He died at the hospital on Dec 9.

Marawi ready to host US war games 
THE City of Marawi has expressed its willingness to host future RP-US joint military exercises should other Muslim dominated areas in Mindanao refuse to host it.
Mayor Omar Solitario Ali announced the offer yesterday during a visit to Marawi City by some American officials led by Mission Director John Lindborg of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).  Ali said that “as long as it will benefit and bring good to our people and to the community, we will not hesitate to host it”.
However, he reminded Lindborg to make prior arrangements with the city government of Marawi should the US troops decide to hold a joint military exercises with Filipino soldiers in the future in their area. 
Marawi City, which is known as the “Islamic City of the southern Philippines”, is predominantly Muslim. It is also a component city of the Province of Lanao del Sur and under the jurisdiction of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Safety rules stressed to cover miners 
THE Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), which is a labour group, has vowed to push for improved protection of the country’s estimated 126,000 mining-industry workers.
Former senator Ernesto Herrera, TUCP secretary-general, yesterday said they intend to support the upgrading of international labour-safety standards with regard to mine workers.
Herrera said there are thousands of miners who are at grave risk due to inadequate protective measures at work.
“Of great concern to us is the need for mining companies to raise the quality of their rescue training,” Herrera added.
He said the US Mine Rescue Association listed at least four major mining accidents in the Philippines from 2003 to 2005.
He noted that in December 2005 alone, eight miners were killed in a methane gas explosion at the Ibalong coalmine in Dalaguete, Cebu.