A mother of a student from Bestlink College of the Philippines shared her child's ordeal during an off-campus activity on January 26, which led to unfortunate incidents and raised significant safety concerns for the students.
Students initially took to social media to share videos expressing their dissatisfaction with the event, which stretched late into the night and felt like a "death march."
In an exclusive interview with DZRH on Wednesday, the mother revealed that her child was forced to walk for more than three hours after attending the school's Founding Anniversary celebration in Hermosa, Bataan.
Moreover, students were reportedly sent off at 6 PM, but her child was only able to board a bus at 9:30 PM. The mother stated that her child was left both exhausted and starving.
The most alarming moment, according to the mother, was when her child suffered an asthma attack due to the physical strain and the long distance they had to walk.
"Yung anak ko po inatake po siya ng hika, hirap na hirap po siya sa paghinga. 'Yung damit niya po halos naging kulay puti, 'yung tsinelas niya kulay puti, puro alikabok po siya," the mother stated.
"1 AM na po siya halos nakauwi. Simula 6 PM pinaalis na po sila ng resort, nakasakay po siya ng bus 9:30 na po ng gabi. Kaya ayun po, hirap na hirap po siya sa paghinga," she added.
The mother stated that her child is currently using a nebulizer every four hours.
According to her child's account, some buses reportedly left immediately, even though they were not full, leaving other students behind and causing a shortage of available transportation.
Furthermore, some students were forced to commute on their own just to get home. The mother added that no professors or teachers were present to assist the students at the time of the incident, as they had boarded different buses.
A report by RH Val Gonzales revealed that some students had to stand inside the bus just to get home, despite having already paid for their seats.
Recalling past experiences, the mother shared that her child has participated in the so-called "educational tour" nearly three times, with P7,000 being the lowest amount they have paid.
She also alleged that students who fail to attend and participate in these educational tours risk having their grades affected or being assigned additional tasks.
"Eto mayroon po silang bago, Baguio naman po. 8k naman daw po," said the mother.
Earlier, the Quezon City Local Government Unit (LGU) expressed concerns over the off-campus activity organized by the Quezon City-based college.
The LGU urged all schools to prioritize student safety when planning and conducting large-scale events.
Additionally, they reminded educational institutions of their responsibility to exercise due diligence by ensuring thorough planning and close coordination with LGUs and other relevant authorities.
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) confirmed that an investigation into the college is underway and stated that a show cause order will be issued.
It was also noted that the off-campus activity lacked the required documents filed with the CHED Regional Office-National Capital Region.
