The father of an elementary school graduate filed a complaint with the Department of Education against the San Beda College elementary department administration allegedly for downgrading the boy from salutatorian to first honorable mention.
In his complaint, William Godino said his son, Juan Lorenzo Godino, based on his academic achievements, should have graduated salutatorian but was relegated to first honorable mention because of the respondent erred in evaluating the academic and co-curricular points of his son and the other pupil who was made salutatorian.
In his letter dated March 18 sent to SBC, Godino said that the scholastic achievements of Lorenzo exceeded that of the declared salutatorian.
Lorenzo was class president and was elected vice president for student affairs, beating the salutatorian for the post. Lorenzo was awarded a trophy for winning the extemporaneous speech contest and won a first place medal in the short story writing contest. In both contests, the salutatorian did not participate.
He won a gold medal in the elocution contest beating the salutatorian. He had a silver medal for mural painting, the other student had none. Lorenzo participated actively in various activities of SBC. The other did not participate at all.
Lorenzo was not credited with points that would have clinched for him the salutatorian honors because co-curricular activities allegedly pertain only to club membership. Neither was he given credit for garnering two gold medals, one bronze and other honors.
