theresa torres pleads “not guilty” in ateneo student amiel alcantara death court case

theresa torres

theresa torres, the mother/driver suspect charged in the death of grade 4 student amiel alcantara at the ateneo grade school pleaded not guilty in court on criminal charges lodged by the alcantara family. amiel was killed at the ateneo grade school parking lot when the van driven by torres pinned the grade 4 boy to another car and crushed him to death. amiel’s nanny and sister were also hurt in the same car accident.

the QC Court Branch 106 judge also said that in accordance with court rules, the parties are mandated to elevate the case to mediation. it was the first time we heard of this process.

the idea of going through mediation according to documents we have read is to find a way to unclog the courts of cases. while it might achieve that in some way, we think more than anything, this is just an additional process to the judicial proceeding which to begin with already takes a long time. what this does is it adds one more process to an already very long process.

amiel alcantara was killed in february 24, 2009 and the arraignment of the case was done just a few days ago, after almost one year and a half in the courts. the case has just been started after 18 months. the mediation will add more months to it.

(read about mediation at the courts here: http://www.pmc.org.ph/about-the-philippine-mediation-center.htm)

the parties in court cases are forced to go through it. we think that should be changed where the parties may simply say whether they want to go through it or by-pass it all together to go straight to trial. the courts are clogged with cases not because of a lack of mediation, it is the slow process that judges allow to occur in its proceedings.

the mediation process helps the court in unclogging it but it does not help the parties involved in the case. all it does is it prolongs the court case further.

the mediation process only adds to an already prolonged process and adds misery and pain to the victims and families of the victims.  this additional process does not really decongest the courts, all it does is give the cases one more detour. it postpones or delays the progress of the case, it does not remove them.

the mediation process for the amiel alcantara death case is scheduled for november.

Suspect in Ateneo student’s death pleads not guilty

MANILA, Philippines – A woman accused of running over a Grade 4 student at the Ateneo de Manila University on Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City last year pled not guilty to criminal charges before a local court Thursday.

Maria Theresa Torres, the woman who ran over and killed 10-year-old student Amiel Alcantara last year, was arraigned at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court branch 106.

huey sepulveda, grade 6 ateneo student, with leukemia needs your help

i have a son who studies at the ateneo de manila grade school and i am a member of a yahoogroup for the parents of the grade of my son.

 the yahoogroup first got to know about what happened to a batchmate of my son, huey sepulveda some months back. huey had to stop schooling after grade 4 as he was found to have leukemia because his body no longer has the strength to do so.

 in recent weeks we heard about huey again and this time things seemed to have turned to the more difficult for him. the members of the yahoogroup sent prayers, encouragement and all the love we can muster  for huey, his mom, dad and family. 

 i am publishing this email sent by huey’s mom, fides to the yahoogroup (with permission from fides) for the ateneo community to read and others who go to this blog to share the road huey and his family are now travelling.

 i am asking the ateneo community and those who are reading this to help huey and his family through prayers, encouragement or financial help for this young 12 year old boy.

 just this morning, i was sent an urgent text coming  from tom, huey’s dad:

I need blood donors type O because my son’s platelet is very, very low. He is bleeding. Please send blood donor to UERM blood bank and tell them it is for Julio Alfonso Sepulveda. I badly need your help. Thanks.

if you can help in any way – prayers, encouragement, financial help and this very urgent request for blood donors, please do so.  thank you.

my family’s prayers go for huey and his family.

email from fides, huey’s mom to the yahoogroup:

It is 11 pm now, watching Huey in deep sleep, and I am having my moments.  I needed someone to cry to at this time of the night.  And I thought of writing you… finally.   

 

It has been 1 week and 4 days since I brought Huey to the hospital by ambulance due to severe pain.  Since then, he has just been on bed.  And as I write this, I am beginning to miss the sprightly Huey that I am used to – walking freely around the house, playing his gadgets carelessly, eating his favorite foods heartily, talking with his big husky voice endlessly. 

 

Now, he sleeps more than he is awake.  He gets up to recline on the bed with much help.  We try to get him back to play his video games (his source of fun) by propping him up in his wheelchair, thinking that it might energize him. 

 

In the beginning, he managed to play but only for a measly hour or so.   The pain overtakes him, he would give it up to rest and sleep.  He has lost his hearty appetite too.  No more of the usual order list from him as I did a few groceries in the afternoon today. 

 

However the leukemia may be taking its toll on Huey physically, his mind remains alert and his spirit, positive.  Huey is not the complaining type, he tolerates as much pain as he could.  He is still the sweet Huey who says “Good night, I love you” with a bear hug.     

 

As of Feb 1, his blood profile showed that his bone marrow is producing 100% leukemic cells. It has spread so fast that by Feb 12, his peripheral veins are now 80% leukemic cells already.  He is under pain management program taking in morphine and other pain killers under a dosage that he is still arousable and with pain that he can manage.   He has recurrent fever ( at least twice a day), due to malignancy of his leukemia.  He’s had platelets transfusion twice in a week.  It is going to be like this in the next days or weeks to come – pain killing and blood transfusion – until the final call comes. 

 

When he wakes up, it is almost like a big reunion for the 4 of us.  We savor the time as if it is our last time together as a complete family.   

 

This has long been overdue but please allow me to thank you all for your prayers, love, time, attention, and financial support for Huey and our family.  To think that Huey has stopped schooling in Ateneo in Grade 4.  As Vxxx  would always remind me, this is the Ateneo way… and so I thought of writing you my pain as a parent because I know you are with me in this. 

 

Thank you to your angels too – your sons, who will surely become like you – parents for others. 

 

Good night!  Time to hug Huey in his sleep….

 

Sincerely yours,

Fides

amiel alcantara’s 2 most favorite things at the taal lakehouse

 

read here: https://wawam.wordpress.com/?s=amiel+favorite+things

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.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20100128-249992/Driver-in-Ateneo-studes-death-case-faces-car-theft-rap

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

“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/

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.

Comments & Suggestions On New AGS Traffic Scheme

we have set up a separate page for your comments and suggestions on the  new AGS traffic scheme that will be implemented on june 10, 2009.

fr. nebres in a posting in this blog says he reads this blog. your comments posted here hopefully will reach fr. nebres.

please give your comments and suggestions, good or bad in this page: https://wawam.wordpress.com/new-ags-traffic-scheme-comments-suggestions/ or click the tab at the top of this page.

there is also a Photo Gallery Of  The New AGS Traffic Scheme – view photos of the effect of the new traffic scheme here. we also invite everyone to send us their photos so we can publish it here. email your photos to wawam.email@gmail.com. view this page here: https://wawam.wordpress.com/new-ags-traffic-scheme-comments-suggestions/photo-gallery-of-new-ags-traffic-scheme/

 

please let other parents know about this as well.

Amiel Alcantara – A Man For Others

posted in this blog by Solar:

AMIEL ALCANTARA – A MAN FOR OTHERS

The story of Amiel’s lending a helping hand to another student, his desire to play fair, and his being a boy scout speak of his selflessness. Amiel lived out the spirit of being a “man for others”. He is truly a blue eagle, NOT a blue vulture.

comment posted in this blog: http://tinyurl.com/qcynt5

with “penny changes” at the AGS parking lot, ateneo ignores parents sentiments

here is one comment from an ateneo mom posted in this blog:

with “penny changes” at the ateneo parking lot, i think that amounts to ateneo ignoring the overwhelming sentiments of AGS parents. not only that, it seems the school trivialized the horrific accident that killed amiel alcantara in their parking lot.

i have re-read the comments of parents in this blog – specially those on their suggestions on how to improve safety in school. it is clear to see in those suggestions that the parents expect the school to implement what one parent calls “radical and significant changes and improvements” in the school’s traffic scheme.

with the pictures shown in this blog, it seems like no change to very minimal changes are being done at the parking lot, definitely something you cannot call “radical and significant”. that can only mean the school has ignored the sentiments of the parents.

i have talked to many other parents and even ateneo alumni like myself and all of them have said one of their top two concerns this coming school year is safety of their sons at the parking lot. (just like the survey in this blog)

from the ateneo website, i have also read the homily delivered by the jesuits during the masses for amiel. in there they mentioned how the whole community was touched by the death of amiel and how what happened has affected parents in the school.

there is a huge disconnect in what has been said to what they are now doing at the parking lots. implementing “penny changes” in the school parking lot is inconsistent with what the jesuits said they recognize to be very strong sentiments of the parents.

it is hard to understand how one can see penny changes as commensurate or being responsive to such strong emotions displayed by the parents.

one parent commented the jesuits are clueless and that they will probably not act on this. i agree with that comment.

comment posted here: http://tinyurl.com/pychoh

 

amiel alcantara death – with no changes at AGS parking lot, it awaits it’s next victim

if you find out you, your son or any family member of yours feel really sick. what do you do? if you think something is wrong in your health, like something about the heart. what do you do?

you see a doctor, in fact you see a doctor specialist. if it is your heart, you see a heart specialist. or if it is your child, a pediatrician.

if a grade 4 child dies in a vehicular accident at the parking lot of the school, what should school authorities do?

first, school authorities will want to know what happened in that accident and find out its causes. then you set out to find ways to improve safety at the parking lot.

it is common sense to conclude that since a grade 4 boy died at the parking lot of the school, there must be something wrong with the design of the parking lot and the traffic management scheme being implemented in the school.

or at the very least, you know you need to improve or make changes to the traffic scheme and design of the parking lot.

when it comes to designs of parking lots and traffic schemes, where do you go?

you go to architects, designers and engineers who are the experts on designing parking lots for safety.

did ateneo go to these specialists and professionals?

since no changes or improvements in terms of  infrastructure or design have been done on the AGS parking lot, that tells you ateneo has not consulted the proper experts on the matter. if they did, it is certain there will be changes on the infrastructure design of the parking lot.

an architect and engineer works with physical designs and structures. ask their expert opinion and they will give you suggestions on changes to the physical design and structure.

we do not think that when ateneo asked architects and engineers on how to improve safety at the parking lot,  they told the school just to apply fresh paint on the street crossings, conduct educational campaigns and re-write traffic rules and regulations in the school. the solutions architects and engineers think of are structural, physical in nature, not psychological and mental.

who did ateneo ask to develope ways to improve safety at the parking lot? priests? english teachers? school administrators? parents? will they be enough? are they the experts in the field of design for safety?

since ateneo DID NOT consult architects and engineers on how to improve safety at the ateneo and the parking lot looking exactly like what it was last school year,  it only means one thing – the dangers and reasons that killed amiel are still present in that parking lot! the ateneo parking lot is awaiting it’s next victim!  

 

 

Comment from an ateneo dad:

Well, it is still unfinished. But, we must impress on Ateneo and the multi-stakeholder committee that they need to work to implement the SAFEST plan and implement it now when they have the time to test and refine it before the real flood of students in June. Anything less would be abrogating their fiduciary responsibilities as 2nd parents to our children.

Let it not be that in their rush to “have something in time for June” that they forget the primary criteria of absolute child safety in any solution that materializes from the exercise that this committee has embarked on. Allowing for a less than 100% solution again would be abrogating their fiduciary responsibilities as 2nd parents to our children.

 As parents and therefore stakeholders of this school, we need to be alert and ready to rally against a slipshod solution that is sold to us as being short-term and temporary. Such measures tend to be more haphazard, hazardous, and ineffective.  And, in many cases, temporary solutions in systems tend to gain a life of their own and become dysfunctionally permanent.

This will bring us back to the same unsafe and possibly more hazardous conditions as where we are today. Ateneo should seriously hire and engage the proper professionals to develop the solution.

They cannot continue to use the reason that it will take too long to design and plan. This is well overdue and the execution of a proper plan should have been done as late as 10 years ago.

I believe parents andstakeholders are not just looking for any kind of solution. They want the Ateneo to do the right thing and to do it well especially in this case that it involves the life and safety of their children.

Nothing less would be the expectation from the school that teaches the way to HEROIC LEADERSHIP

reader comment posted here: http://tinyurl.com/dewmcm

pepe, amiel alcantara’s dad disatisfied with ateneo’s “turtle’s pace” in correcting safety lapses at the ateneo

Alcantara family plans to sue Ateneo for parking mess
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 03/27/2009 4:11 PM

Amiel Alcantara’s family is set to file a “breach of contract” charge against Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) for allegedly failing to solve the campus’s parking scheme problems, the family’s lawyer announced Friday.

Rafael Aquino, lawyer of the the Alcantaras, said the family is dissatisfied with the Ateneo’s “turtle’s pace” action in correcting safety lapses in the school’s parking and traffic scheme.

He explained that the “breach of contract” charge will be filed against Ateneo because the school is not only morally responsible, but legally liable, for the students within its grounds.

According to Amiel’s father, Jose Fernando “Pepe” Alcantara, Ateneo’s decision to beef up the number of security guards is merely a “band-aid solution,” and that the school’s actions lacked determination, a time table, and scope.

He said he wants to see Ateneo implement fast and comprehensive safety measures around the campus like constructing road humps in parking areas, improving the parking plan, fixing the sidewalks, and hiring more crossing guards instead of security guards.

The Alcantaras’ 10-year-old son Amiel was killed after he was pinned by a speeding car at the Ateneo Grade School (AGS) parking lot last February. Amiel died from severe injuries after he was hit, while crossing with his nanny, by a Toyota Hi-Ace Van driven by Ma. Theresa Torres, mother of a fellow AGS student.

Reinvestigation pursued

In criminal trial proceedings conducted Friday, the prosecution asked the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 106 for a reinvestigation of the case.

The prosecution alleged that Torres showed a clear intention to kill, and that she should reportedly be charged with homicide instead of reckless imprudence resulting to homicide.

The Alcantaras’ counsel also petitioned the court to issue a hold departure order against Torres.

However, the suspect’s lawyer, Atty. Rolando Villiones said that his client does not have any plan to leave the country.

Villiones also said he had filed a motion before the Quezon City RTC to merge three criminal cases filed against Torres into one complex crime of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and multiple physical injuries. He said this would make it easier for his client during her arraignment.

Mr. Alcantara, meanwhile, said several parties have approached the family for a settlement, but that they are not open to it at this time.–report from Sol Aragones, ABS-CBN News

——–

comments to this post:

If that is what it will take Ateneo to move towards a more permanent solution, I agree with the Alcantara family. SUE ATENEO! It has been more than one month since Amiel’s death but we still have to hear from the heads of the department and committees. It is an exercise in frustration waiting for a response from a supposedly reputable school. Its procrastination and seeming lethargy is something its students should not emulate.

What will it take to announce that humps are being constructed, parking slots opened, sidewalks being fixed? Does it need to form a multistakeholder committee to see this? Will they need to wait for another accident to happen? Do they need to wait for the beginning of the school year?

The answers are staring everyone in the face. The response should be simply and proactively addressed.

If it will need a court case for Ateneo to proceed with its unfinished business, we support the Alcantara family on this!

This tragedy should never happen again.

express your thoughts, write a letter for Amiel

if you are an ateneo parent, if you have a child studying at the ateneo de manila (college, high school or grade school), or you are an ateneo alumni or you may have been simply touched by Amiel’s  story, please take time to write to ateneo school authorities to urge them to take this matter seriously and to adapt drastic, significant and meaningful changes and improvements in relation to safety of children in campus as it relates to traffic and vehicles on campus.

please write to the following school officials:

Fr. Norberto Bautista, SJ
Headmaster

Ateneo de Manila Grade School

Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights

Quezon City, Metro Manila 1108

 

Fr. Ben Nebres, SJ
President

Ateneo de Manila University

Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights

Quezon City, Metro Manila 1108

 

what happened to Amiel should never happen again.

family, friends, classmates, schoolmates and strangers say a prayer for Amiel Alcantara

for amiel alcantara

February 25, 2009

TO : THE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY

Norberto Maria Luza Bautista, SJ
Headmaster

RE : DEMISE OF MASTER JULIAN CARLO MIGUEL (AMIEL)  ALCANTARA

FR : NORBERTO MARIA LUZA BAUTISTA, SJ

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Master Julian Carlo Miguel (Amiel) C. Alcantara of 4-Manobo. Amiel died of head injuries due to a vehicular accident yesterday afternoon outside the AGS holding area.

His body lies in state at the Chapel of the Holy Guardian Angels, Ateneo de Manila Grade School.

Wake masses will be held at 7:30 PM from Wednesday, February 25, 2009 to Friday, February 27, 2009.

 The remains of Amiel will be cremated at the Arlington Crematorium, Araneta Avenue, Quezon City at 2:00 PM on Saturday, February 28, 2009. There will be a mass at 11:00 AM at the AGS Chapel before the body is brought to Arlington for cremation.

prayers for Amiel Alcantara – killed in a car accident inside the Ateneo campus

here is another one from this blog: http://mourningtojoy.blogspot.com/2009/02/prayers-for-amiel-alcantara-ateneo.html

Amiel. That was the young boy’s name. A beautiful Hebrew name that means “friend of God”. According to initial reports, he had not been feeling well that day and the school had advised his father about it. Amiel has a brother who is the seventh grade and so when dismissal time came, they were supposedd to all go home together. The boys were already in their car when Amiel got hungry and so he and his yaya decided to go to the grade school canteen to buy something.

Meanwhile, inside a van, a 30something mom, had instructed her driver to go and get her young son. If you are a parent, you know how sunduan time at an elementary school can be such a nightmare. The mother said she would just take care of moving the vehicle if need be.

From behind the vehicle come Amiel and his yaya. And that is when the accident takes place. It is vague to me but according to accounts, the van was backing up and hit the young boy and the boy must have yelled out. Rather than stepping on the brakes, the mom panics and hits the accelerator instead…

prayers for Amiel Alcantara, grade 4 student, ateneo de manila grade school. died in a vehicular accident inside campus.

amiel alcantara is a grade 4 student at the ateneo de manila grade school. he died after a vehicular accident in campus.

we would like to ask readers for prayers for amiel.

 

Van kills 10-year-old boy inside Ateneo campus

02/24/2009 | 10:11 PM

MANILA, Philippines – A 10-year-old boy died Tuesday afternoon after a van accidentally hit him inside the Ateneo de Manila University campus in Quezon city, police said.

In a phone interview, Senior Police Officer II Jun Cuaresma identified the victim as Julian Carlo Miguel Alcantara, a student of the university.

Cuaresma said the victim was walking alongside his nanny, Tata Suarez, 65, when the van driven by one Ma. Theresa Torres, 37, accidentally struck them at about 4:20 p.m.

Cuaresma said based on Torres’ initial accounts, she accidentally hit Alcantara when she followed the car parked in front of her. She reportedly said she was waiting for her child and was parked in parallel near the main gate of the university.

Alcantara was pronounced dead on arrival at New Era Hospital while his nanny sustained several fractures.

Cuaresma said a ‘hysterical’ Torres was brought to the District Traffic Unit Section 3 after the incident. The Alcantaras, meanwhile, declined to give their comments. – Aie Balagtas See, GMANews.TV