URDANETA CITY–Sixth District Board Member Alfonso Bince Jr. has taken the cudgels for an embattled group of parents who have filed a complaint against a school principal in San Manuel town.

The parents, 36 in all, are facing a libel suit filed by the school principal.

Bince, who volunteered to give free legal service to the accused, said they have recently filed a motion asking the court to quash the information as the complaint letter falls under privileged information.

The alleged defamatory and libelous statements are contained in a letter written in Ilocano by the 36 parents of students at the Flores Integrated School in Barangay Flores, San Manuel to the school principal, Leilanie Repoyo.

“It is respectfully submitted that the letter qualifies as a privileged communication and not actionable for libel,” Bince said in his motion.

The letter was addressed to the Office of the regional director of schools at San Fernando, La Union, the division superintendent of schools II at Binalonan, Pangasinan and the district supervisor of San Manuel.

The letter contained allegations that the principal was behind the changing of parents-teachers community officers without holding a general meeting, and complaints for unjustified increases in schools and miscellaneous fees, and the mandatory contribution for school festivals with fixed amounts

The parents also claimed that students who failed to meet all these required dues were not allowed to take exams on Jan. 17-18, 2008, among others.

“It is indeed regrettable that citizens who find courage to denounce misconduct and malpractices of public official are oftentimes at the receiving end of condemnation,” Bince said.

He said that the parents were earlier ordered to pay P10,000 each for their bail bond but this was later reduced to P3,000.#

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