Leyte teacher dismissed for molesting high school student

MANILA, Philippines – The Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for Visayas has ordered the dismissal of a high school teacher in Leyte for grave misconduct.

Salvador Trinidad Jr of Palompon National High School was found to have sexually molested a female high school student, a statement from the Office of the Ombudsman said on Wednesday, June 8.

The Regional Trial Court of Barauen, Leyte, sentenced Trinidad to 4 to 9 years of imprisonment.

“[The] government cannot tolerate such an abhorrent and morally depraved conduct on the part of an educator who is supposed to carry out a noble task of rearing the youth into responsible citizens of this country,” Deputy Ombudsman Paul Elmer Clemente said in the statement.

Aside from his dismissal, Trinidad also faces other penalties: perpetual disqualification from holding public office, forfeiture of retirement benefits, and prohibition from taking the civil service examinations.

In 2014, the social welfare department recorded 1,157 cases of girls under 18 years old who were sexually abused. Many other cases go unreported. (READ: Violence against women: Sex, power, abuse)

According to the health department, sexual abuse and sexual exploitation are among the vulnerability areas of female adolescents. – Jee Y. Geronimo/Rappler.com