DepEd Central Office orders immediate dismissal of teacher in Olongapo City

DepEd Central Office orders immediate dismissal of teacher in Olongapo City
Francis B. Bermido, Jr.

The Central Office of the Department of Education (DepEd) has upheld the decision of DepEd Regional Director May Eclar finding Franco Aranas, a teacher of New Cabalan National High School in Olongapo City, guilty of grave misconduct for sexually abusing three male minors in 2018. The DepEd Resolution promulgated on 12 May 2022, a copy of which was received by Preda Foundation on June 1, orders the immediate dismissal of Franco Aranas from government service pursuant 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 the perpetual disqualification in government service.

In her Decision dated October 7, 2021 Director May B. Eclar of the Department of Education said Franco Aranas “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 all testified during the formal investigation and narrated how Franco N. Aranas groomed and then sexually abused them in two separate incidents in the Sunshine Lodge in Olongapo City. All three said Franco Aranas forced them to have oral and anal sex with him.

In his defense, Aranas said it was impossible for him to have sexually abused the minors because he was at work and he attended a party on said dates. However, the Regional Director rejected his alibi because he failed to prove that it was impossible for him to be at the scene of the crime at the time of its commission.

Aranas did not deny the sexual intercourse with his students but claimed it was consensual because he did not employ physical force or violence upon his victims. But the Regional Director said that his moral ascendancy and influence over the students substituted for threat and intimidation, which made the minors submit to his sexual acts. Also, children are presumed by law to be incapable of giving rational consent to any lascivious act or sexual intercourse.

The administrative case against Franco Aranas was filed in March 2019 by Emmanuel C. Drewery, executive director of the Preda Foundation. Reacting to the Decision of the Central Office of the DepEd, Mr. 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. This latest Decision of the DepEd (dismissing Franco Aranas from service) is a success for the minor victims of Franco Aranas and for all those who believed and supported them the past several years. May it empower more victims to seek justice and bring their abusers to trial. May it also serve as a stern warning to those in positions of power and authority who would take advantage of our children.”

Aranas is still facing three criminal cases for child abuse and trafficking. Judge Gemma Theresa B. Hilario-Logronio of the Olongapo City Family Court ordered his arrest but Aranas posted a cash bond for his provisional liberty.

Preda News