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amiel alcantara’s 2 most favorite things at the taal lakehouse
amiel alcantara’s 1st year death anniversary activities at AGS
For our dear Amiel’s
1st yr death anniversary,
Ateneo set Mass on 24th Feb, 6:30 AM
at Ateneo Grade School Chapel.
Breakfast will follow.
Also in the evening of 24th feb,
we have arranged 6:30 pm
prayer and candle lighting
at the Amiel Marker in front of Ateneo Grade School.
Pls join salo-salo dinner in the grounds after.
message posted at facebook “Justice For Amiel Alcantara”
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=260501086285
warrant of arrest for theresa torres, woman involved in amiel alcantara death
amiel alcantara’s 1st year death anniversary – february 24, 2010
it is close to being one year since the death of amiel alcantara, the grade 4 student of ateneo de manila grade school. this is not easy to forget – our children who go to school are supposed to be home at 4 pm. the school, after all in our minds is one of the safest places for your young children to be in. this did not happen in february 24, 2009 for amiel.
amiel was crushed by a speeding van to the back of a CRV. he died shortly. i remember talking to pepe, amiel’s dad and asked him what happened that afternoon. he told me, he was in the car when he got the call about the news on amiel. he told me he screamed when he was told amiel had died.
i can only imagine the anguish and pain that pepe felt. but i do not think that what pepe felt can approximate the pain and loss he felt even if i used the most vivid imagination that i can muster.
it is a senseless loss. and it was a great loss. on the approach of the 1 year death anniversary of amiel, we hope and pray that he sits with the Lord in heaven in eternal peace. we also hope that the family of amiel, his parents, siblings and other relatives have learned to find peace in their hearts.
spot at the AGS parking lot where amiel died
amiel's urn at the garden in their taal batangas rest house
amiel's classmates from 4-manobo await for the amiel's hearse to leave the AGS grounds
for more exclusive photos, please click : http://amielsfootprints.wordpress.com/
amiel alcantara – driver in death faces car theft charges
Driver in Ateneo stude’s death case faces car theft rap
By Julie M. Aurelio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:57:00 01/28/2010
MANILA, Philippines–The woman accused of killing a 10-year-old Ateneo Grade School student last year has been charged with another offense.
A balikbayan recently filed an affidavit with the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office in
which she accused Ma. Theresa Songco Torres of stealing her van—the one the latter was driving when she ran over Juan Carlo Miguel “Amiel” Alcantara.
Alcantara was crossing the school parking lot with his siblings and nanny when he was hit by the van on Feb. 24, 2009. His nanny was injured while the boy was declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital due to head injuries.
Torres was later charged with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and physical injures before a Quezon City court over Alcantara’s death. The case is still pending.
The new complaint against her was filed by Virginia Ibali, 54, an American citizen who lives in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte, but also owns a house in San Francisco del Monte, Quezon City.
In a two-page complaint dated Jan. 19, Ibali said she was watching the news on March 2 last year in her house in Ilocos Sur when she learned that her van—a Toyota Hi-Ace van 2000 model with plate number CRW 705—was involved in an accident on the Ateneo campus in Quezon City on Feb. 24, 2009.
“The news report pinpointed to a certain Maria Theresa Songco Torres as the person who was in control of the said vehicle at the time of the incident,” she said.
According to Ibali, she last saw her van on Jan. 20 last year. She added that she kept the van at her house in Quezon City and that the only time she used it was whenever she was in Metro Manila.
She also said that since she bought the van in May 2002, she has not sold, transferred its ownership or mortgaged the vehicle.
“Neither did I authorize Maria Theresa Songco Torres to get or use the same,” she said, adding that she later learned from her neighbors that her van had been missing even before the day Alcantara was killed.
The van has been impounded by the Quezon City police since.
Ibali said that when she checked with the Land Transportation Office, she was told that the van was still registered in her name.
She added that she immediately reported the loss of her vehicle to the Ilocos Norte police while she filed a complaint with Quezon City policemen late last year.
“This affidavit is being executed as a basis for my complaint for the crime of carnapping against Maria Theresa Songco Torres for taking, carrying away and stealing my said vehicle without my consent,” Ibali said.
ateneo grade school traffic scheme incompetency that need fixing
after one quarter of trying out the new traffic scheme at the ateneo grade school, we now have a very good picture of how it has performed and what needs to be changed as soon as possible.
we think these are the incompetency of the new traffic scheme:
- new and additional parking spaces were not added, parking spaces not enough for all the AGS vehicles – it is obvious that not having enough parking spaces for all the AGS vehicles is the most important problem and one that this new parking scheme did not even attempt to solve. this is very much obvious specially during the time closest to dismissal time when vehicles are double, triple and quadruple parked on the existing parking spaces. cars are parked perpendicular to the cars parked on the designated lanes and on both sides of the lanes. this gets so bad that it has become very slow to get out of the parking lots. the cars parked now reach beyond the the area of the pedestrian overpass on katipunan road. we agree that this situation means the dangers that were there before were not really solved but simply transferred to the parking areas.
- the new traffic scheme is causing a lot of heavy traffic and has at least doubled the travel time in and out of the campus. traffic flow has been significantly slowed down, slowed down at least twice as much not only inside the campus but also in entering the campus from katipunan road. going out of the campus is much slower.
- the curbside designations according to grades is ill-conceived and incompetently drawn. grades 1,3,5 and 7 are supposed to be picked up on the curbside where amiel alcantara’s marker is and beside irwin theater while grades 2, 4 and 6 are supposed to use the curbside beside the AGS buildings, on the heritage room side. the scheme splits the number of students to 60-40, with 60% of the students, or those students belonging to odd numbered grades at the longer curbside. this is great IF the length of the comparative curbsides are also 60-40 in ratio but it is not. the curbside for the even-numbered grades is easily only 20% in total length compared to the total length of the curbside for the odd numbered grades. that means too many cars are all being jam-packed into a mush shorter curbside inside the campus by the heritage room and that is causing so much traffic. getting in and of that area is at least 3 to 5 times longer than on the side of the odd-numbered grades.
- the crossing at the entrance to the school by the blue eagle’s gym (gate 2) is nothing but mayhem. this should have been obvious to the designers of the new traffic scheme. that crossing takes in a total of 7 lanes coming from 4 different directions converging into that single point – at least 3 lanes from cars entering gate 2 going into the campus, 1 lane coming from the road beside katipunan going to the grade school parking lot, 2 lanes coming from the parking lot who will exit the campus and 2 lanes on matheson drive entering the grade school parking lot and exiting the campus. all these converge on that single point clogging all the lanes going in and out of the campus.
there are other incompetency but we think these are the major problems that need to be fixed immediately.
separately, we heard that in talks to parents, a school official has been telling the parents the current traffic scheme is “short term” and the the traffic scheme presented by a group of parents that the school ignored is being labeled as “long term” and that this school official is in contact with these group of parents about it.
we do not know what this school official is up to but many of the things this school official said about the traffic scheme the school ignored is not true.
we hope AGS will correct the incompetency of the new traffic scheme.
not enough parking spaces – the unsolved problem at AGS
now that the new traffic scheme is in place and we have had a few weeks experience with it, my conclusion is that the key problem at the parking lot is that there is not enough parking spaces for all the cars that go to ateneo to pick up AGS students. and that problem may have caused the tragic accident at the AGS parking lot.
not having enough parking spaces for all the cars is as plain as ateneo is
photo by solar
blue. parking at the drop off point where amiel was killed and beside the irwin theater are no longer allowed – all those cars that used to be parked there are now double/quadruple parked at the football fields and at the road beside katipunan road.
these parking spaces are always full. on top of the cars that are parked inside the white lines, are vehicles parked perpendicular to these cars on both sides of the road. it has now become more difficult and slower to pass through those roads. the double/quadruple parking now goes all the way past near the pedestrian overpass that crosses katipunan road.
amiel was killed as he crossed that road to reach their car which was parked at the drop-off area. the van that killed him was also parked there. the death was caused as small boys and moving vehicles were mixed in the same space. boys then were allowed to cross that drop off area in between cars that were parked or moving.
having not enough parking spaces based on comments from parents on this blog have been a perennial problem. some parents here have said CPRs have been bringing up that problem with ateneo school officials but obviously no action has been taken.
that problem still remain. i hope the ateneo admin know that. what this new traffic scheme did was it just moved the problem of lack of parking spaces from the old location to a new spot – from the drop off areas and beside irwin theater to the parking areas at the football fields and the road beside katipunan.
in other words and i hope it does not happen – what this new traffic scheme did is it removed the danger of an accident at the drop off areas but transferred it to the football field and road near katipunan parking areas.
AGS students do walk to those areas to ride into their cars. in that same area we still see AGS students mixed in the same space as moving vehicles, only in this space it is more crowded which makes it even worst.
we think there is unfinished business at the AGS parking lot.
amiel alcantara’s marker at the AGS parking lot
these are pictures contributed by solar. we like to thank solar for his contribution to this blog.
we hope that this marker for amiel will remind us on a daily basis that we should honor this young boy’s life by staying safe in that parking lot. for pedestrians to follow all the rules all the time and for drivers to always take caution and drive slow in that area.
new AGS traffic scheme
an ateneo mom sent us these pictures of the new traffic scheme at the AGS. read parents’ feedback on the new traffic scheme here: https://wawam.wordpress.com/new-ags-traffic-scheme-comments-suggestions/
no parking beside lee irwin theater, turned into a curbside pick-up
the traffic scheme that AGS ignored
we received an email that contains a traffic plan for the AGS. the email says this was developed by a group of professionals on design and safety – architects and engineers and was submitted to the multi-stakeholder committee for consideration.
this traffic scheme is very different from the one that is being implemented now which means this was not at all adapted by the committee.
proposed traffic scheme developed by professionals on design and safety
Design and Safety Philosophy : Separate Pedestrian and Vehicular Traffic
The safety of the Children is the paramount consideration to the design of any Traffic Scheme for schools. The best way to achieve this is to follow the tried and tested standard of separating pedestrian streams with that of vehicular flows to minimize if not to totally eradicate accidents of Ateneo’s students—the children of the main stakeholders of Ateneo de Manila University.
Design Concepts
1. Enlarged / Lengthened Waiting Areas.
The Waiting Areas (may be covered later) for fetching and dropping off students shall be lengthened by about 6 times the existing lengths. This shall discourage drivers from fetching and dropping off students in the middle of the road which may lead to another accident.
2. Central Waiting Area.
Pedestrian and Vehicular Streams should not cross as much as possible, therefore, a core shall be created making use of the Blue Eagle Gym, Irwin Theater and the Inner Driveway serviced by 2 Road Loops. The Inner driveway shall be used as a Holding Area where students can play safely in a gated (fenced) environment while waiting for their fetchers.
The Central Pedestrian / Waiting Area (where the current faculty parking is located) shall be connected to the Inner Driveway via the existing covered walkway from the Cafeteria or the existing open walkway (usually reserved for teachers only) through the Inner Driveway Courtyard where the statues of the Holy Family are located. From this Central Pedestrian / Waiting Area, students shall branch out to the Blue Eagle Gym, Irwin Theater and the Pedestrian /Waiting Area outside the Inner Driveway.
Traffic Flow
1. Gate 1 Entry.
From Gate 1, drivers proceed to Road Loop 1 and may drop off or fetch students along the lengths of Pedestrian / Waiting Areas A & B. They then exit through the Collector Road toward Gate 2-B or park their vehicles in the Parking Lots.
2. Gates 2 and 3 Entries.
From Gate 2, drivers proceed via Mastersons Drive to Road Loop 2 and may drop off or fetch students along the lengths of Pedestrian / Waiting Areas D & E. They then exit through Gate 2-B or Gate 3 or park their vehicles in the Parking Lots.
Drivers entering Gates 2 or 3 may also access Road Loop 1 via the Collector Road and may drop off or fetch students along the lengths of Pedestrian / Waiting Areas A & B. They then exit through the Collector Road toward Gate 2-B or park their vehicles in the Parking Lots.
3. School Bus.
School Buses may enter Gate 1, proceed to Road Loop 1 to drop off students along the lengths of Pedestrian / Waiting Areas A & B. They then proceed to the School Bus Parking via the Collector Road.
School Buses may also enter Gates 2 & 3, proceed to Road Loop 2 to drop off students along the lengths of Pedestrian / Waiting Areas D & E. They then proceed to the School Bus Parking via Mastersons Drive. Students are fetched by School Buses in their respective School Bus Parking slots along the lengths of Pedestrian / Waiting Areas C-1 & C-2 around the Blue Eagle Gym. Students walk to Pedestrian / Waiting Areas C-1 & C-2 without crossing roads / streets.
4. Faculty Parking.
Faculty Parking behind the Blue Eagle Gym and Parking of Administrators at the Inner Driveway shall be relocated to the rear of the Cafeteria where they walk through existing Covered Walkways at the side of the Cafeteria.
5. Fetchers’ Parking.
Existing parking for the general public shall remain. Access to these areas shall be via manned Pedestrian Crossings through Pedestrian / Waiting Areas D and C-1.
does ateneo grade school have an emergency response plan for swine flu?
am wondering if ateneo has an emergency response plan to swine flu? they should announce this plan to parents, specially that school opening is just 1 week away.
justice for amiel alcantara
we are posting here a comment from a reader, solar.
we will be filling up this post with updates once we get them from any member of the alcantara family.
Thanks for the reply. Do you think Amiel’s uncle (Doc Martin ? ) who has posted notices in Wawam can be requested to give Wawam readers updates on the case the Alcantara family has filed against the driver of the van ? We also need to see justice for Amiel served from that end.
amiel's little corner of heaven at the garden
new Ateneo Grade School traffic and safety scheme
posted at the ateneo website (http://www.ateneo.edu/index.php?p=120&type=2&sec=25&aid=6720). with thanks to Dino who posted the link in this blog. it’s not easy to understand, but this is the scheme that will be implemented.
please post your comments and suggestions on this new traffic and safety scheme here and we will make sure it reaches ateneo admin.
———-
FEATURES OF THE AGS NEW TRAFFIC AND SAFETY SCHEME
After a two-month effort, the multi-stakeholder committee headed by the VP for Administration and Planning Dr. John Paul Vergara, came out with a comprehensive design which enables an ingress and egress system that utilizes safe passage for students and only curb side drop-off and pick-up. Parents’ orientations, student walk throughs and driver’s dry run will be conducted.
An attempt to provide the pertinent features of the scheme is included below. This covers the various components of the scheme and to whom this applies to . You may wish toDownload the vicinity map as a basic guide.
DISMISSAL SCHEDULES
To WHOM does this apply to : ALL STUDENTS
Fundamental to the scheme is the reduction of vehicles at a given dismissal time. A revised dismissal schedule now enables this ( Download a copy of the new Dismissal Schedules)
CROSSING ONLY AT DESIGNATED PEDESTRIAN LANES
To WHOM does this apply to : ALL STUDENTS who go to their cars instead of wait to be picked up. To commuters
Another pertinent feature of the new scheme is the designation of pedestrian safety passages. (Download a copy of the Pedestrian Walkpaths Map ) Evidently the principle behind this provision is to ascertain the safety of students regardless of whether they will be picked up at designated pick-up areas or whether they will go to their parked vehicles during dismissal time. The same safety consideration enables commuters to walk to leave the campus by passing through pedestrian paths.
CURBSIDE DROP OFF AND PICK-UP ONLY
To WHOM does this apply to :Drivers of all students
With the new scheme comes a rerouting of vehicles. Essentially, this rerouting will enable the vehicles to enter the inner driveway- an area that was once inaccessible except during rains and the Irwin Theatre Curbside Area . Vehicles entering Gate 3 may still access the AGS via Masterson’s Drive or the service road at Erunchun Footbal Field , facing Katipunan Road . ( Download a copy of the Drivers Route Map ).
PREFERENTIAL SPACE FOR SCHOOL BUS RIDERS
To WHOM does this apply to : School Vehicle Riders and Drivers
In an effort to encourage the students to avail of school service vehicles, school service providers are provided with special parking spaces ( indicated in the map as SP ) . This will enable the students to wait for the fetchers at a holding area located at the old prep. (Download a copy of map showing the exit route of the students who take the school service )
PICK UP of PREP AND GRADE 1 STUDENTS
To WHOM does this apply to : All Prep and Grade 1 Students
Being the youngest among the AGS students, the Prep and Grade 1 students will continue to be accompanied by their teachers to designated waiting areas where fetchers will pick them up. Prep students will be picked up their fetchers at the old Prep Area . Grade 1 students will be picked up at the Irwin Theatre Area. The inner driveway continues to be accessible to the students and fetchers waiting for their vehicles. ( Download a copy of the map showing the pick up routes of Prep and Grade 1 Students
SPECIAL PARKING SPACES for PREP and GRADE 1 STUDENTS
To WHOM does this apply to : Drivers of Prep and Grade 1 students
Parking spaces will be made exclusive 1 hour before the dismissal time of PREP and GRADE 1 Students. For Prep, the Parking area is located at the Southwest Carpark for Grade 1, the space is at P7. Drivers are asked to display a duplicate of the fetchers pass at the windshield of their cars for proper identification.
PICK -UP of GRADE 2- 7 STUDENTS
To WHOM does this apply to :Grade 2-7 students and their drivers
Although the grades 2-7 students will be coming from different areas during dismissal. There are designated curbside areas where their vehicles can drive and pick them up . ( Download a copy of the drive and Curbside loading of Grade 2-7 )
Because it is important to gather valuable information about the effectiveness of the new scheme, we are banking on your utmost cooperation and compliance. You and your drivers are enjoined to go through the Traffic Guidelines since the plan will be implemented soon as classes begin on June 8.
However, be assured that although, security and traffic personnel will enforce rules and call the attention of violators( for purposes of driver education and data gathering ) no sanction will yet be imposed until June 30 . We are in the process of recruiting parent volunteers who wish to serve as traffic and safety marshalls . Those of you who are interested my get in touch with Asst Headmaster for Student Affairs Jonny Salvador at jsalvador@ateneo.edu
We invite you to continue to partner with us in the service of a safe and secure school.
———
please post your comments and suggestions on this new traffic and safety scheme here and we will make sure it reaches ateneo admin.
traffic & parking scheme at the ateneo grade school
an ateneo mom has sent us this link at the ateneo website on the new traffic scheme that
will be implemented at the AGS this june.
this is the link at the ateneo website: http://www.admu.edu.ph/index.php?p=120&type=2&sec=29&aid=6686
actually, it does not say much on what exactly is the traffic scheme. all it says is they have been working hard and that a lot of departments have been involved.
we are anxious to find out what this traffic scheme is. this is the unfinished business at the AGS.
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“impossible traffic” at the Ateneo Grade School
“impossible traffic” was how one ateneo dad describes the traffic situation at the AGS. we concur.
it has now taken much longer, at around 2 to 3 times longer to get in and out of the ateneo campus in the morning during drop-off and most specially in the afternoon at pick-up. what used to be getting in and out of the ateneo from 10 to 20 minutes, it is now anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes depending on the time. and that is just to get out and in to the AGS campus.
something is also wrong now at katipunan, on the approach to and getting out of the ateneo campus. traffic lines are now much longer, bumper to bumper and standstill traffic is more common. we wonder if the new traffic scheme implemented at the AGS is causing the traffic jam outside of ateneo. commuters and drivers along katipunan must now be fuming mad at ateneo.
pictures were taken on june 19, afternoon dismissal.
bumper to bumper traffic on road along katipunan. this reached up to the gate.
the other side is no different - bumper to bumper traffic on matheson road reaching all the college buildings to gate 3
double parking on both sides on parking beside the football fields across the blue eagle's gym
comments and suggestions posted here, to read, please click: https://wawam.wordpress.com/new-ags-traffic-scheme-comments-suggestions/
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