The Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) has expressed its deepest sympathy to the bereaved families of the students who were found dead in a school office in Taguig on Friday night, Nov. 11.
According to reports, the two girls identified as Mary Nicole Picar, 15, a Grade 10 student, and Irish Sheen Manalo, 13, a Grade 8 student, were allegedly found by another student at around 11 p.m. Friday night inside the Girls Scout Mini Office on the third floor of the Magsaysay Building in the Signal Village National High School in Taguig City.
In a statement released on Monday, Nov. 13 CWC said it was alarmed when it received the news regarding the incident.
CWC said that it is one with Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano, the Department of Education (DepEd), parents, and classmates in the conduct of the investigation to identify the two girls' cause of death in order to prevent the tragedy from happening again.
"Tulong-tulong po tayo—gobyerno, kamag-aral, at nang buong komunidad—sa pagaruga ng kapakanan ng ating mga bata at sa pagsuporta sa kanilang mga pangangailangan tungo sa kanilang ganap na pag-unlad," it said.
The council also highlighted the National Children’s Month theme, “Healthy, Nourished, Sheltered: Ensuring the Right to Life for All” which entails monitoring and ensuring the physical and mental welfare of children.
"Handa po ang aming mga lisensyadong social workers na pakinggan at tulungang mabigyan ng solusyon ang inyong mga sumbong at pangangailangan. Makakaasa po kayo sa tulong at suporta ng pamunuan ng CWC," the council remarked.
Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Saturday that their initial investigation with Scene of Crime Operation (SOCO) revealed there was no “foul play” in the deaths of the two students.
Authorities urged the public to refrain from speculating about the incident because doing so could escalate the situation.
In a separate statement on Saturday, Nov. 11, DepEd said it is committed to cooperate with the PNP Taguig towards the investigation of the incident.
"The DepEd fully commits to cooperate with the PNP Taguig regarding this matter, and is committed towards the swift and expeditious conduct of the ongoing investigation," DepEd said.
"We express our deepest sympathies to the families. The loss of young lives is a devastating blow to any community," it added.
Any incidents concerning women and children's safety may call Makabata Helpline 1383 or 09193541383 for Smart and 09158022375 for Globe.
