DepEd dismiss teacher for sexual abuse
The Department of Education(DepEd) dismissed from service a teacher from New Cabalan National High School in Olongapo City.
He was found guilty of grave misconduct for sexually abusing three male minors in 2018.
The DepEd resolution, promulgated on May 12, 2022 and released on June 1, 2022, orders the immediate dismissal of Franco Arañas from government service according to the Rules of Procedure of the DepEd in administrative cases.
His dismissal carries with it the penalty of cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, and perpetual disqualification from government service.
In a decision dated Oct. 7, 2021, DepEd Region 3 Director May Eclar stated that Arañas “miserably fell short of the standards expected of him as an educator and as a public employee. He has tarnished the noble profession of teaching by committing dastardly acts against the very persons he is charged to educate and care for. Such character deserves no place in the teaching profession.”
The three minor victims narrated how Arañas “groomed and then sexually abused them” in two separate incidents at the Sunshine Lodge in Olongapo City in their testimony. They claimed Arañas forced them to have oral and anal sex with him.
The administrative case against Arañas was filed in March 2019 by Emmanuel Drewery, executive director of the Preda Foundation in Olongapo City.
Reacting to the decision of the Central Office of the DepEd, Drewery has this to say, “At Preda, we believe that recovery is not complete without justice and it is the certainty of penalty that deters crime. That is why we thank the SDO of Olongapo for giving credence to the testimonies of the children and for acting in their best interest.”
“The dismissal of Franco Arañas from service is a success for the minor victims and for all those who believed and supported them the past several years,” Drewery said.
