12-10-2023 (MANILA) An autopsy on Francis Jay Gumikib, a 14-year-old student who was slapped by his teacher, has found that his death was not caused by the physical impact of the incident but by “natural causes” stemming from a rare health condition, according to Antipolo City police.
Police Lt. Col. Ryan Manongdo stated that the autopsy results revealed the cause of death had “nothing to do” with the physical altercation with his teacher, which occurred more than a week before he passed away.
The autopsy findings indicated that Gumikib, a student at Peñafrancia Elementary School, died of “cerebral edema secondary to intracerebral hemorrhage, consistent with a ruptured artery with arteriovenous malformation,” as explained by Manongdo.
Cerebral edema is a condition involving brain swelling, while intracerebral hemorrhage is a type of stroke that occurs when tiny arteries rupture. An arteriovenous malformation is listed as a rare condition on the National Organization for Rare Diseases website, a US-based research organization dedicated to studying rare diseases.
Manongdo noted that Gumikib had been born with this “rare condition,” which was a potential source of health complications.
While an initial autopsy by the Philippine National Police (PNP) revealed that Gumikib had tuberculosis, it was determined not to be a contributing factor to his death. Manongdo clarified, “The (tuberculosis) found in his lungs did not reach the brain. It’s not related.”
The police chief stated that the medical professionals at PNP’s Rizal forensic unit had discussed the autopsy results and their interpretation with Gumikib’s parents.
The autopsy findings, released by Camp Crame at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, were subsequently shared with the Antipolo City police station at 4 p.m.
Manongdo emphasized that there were no doubts that Gumikib had been slapped by his teacher. “We proved that he was slapped. No question. Sufficient evidence and testimonies were provided to us, and these are all corroborated,” Manongdo said.
The Antipolo City police will be filing a complaint against the teacher under Republic Act 7610, also known as the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act.
Two independent investigations into the incident are ongoing, conducted by the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Human Rights. The teacher has been placed on a 90-day preventive suspension without pay during DepEd’s investigation.
Gumikib was hospitalized three days after the teacher’s slap during a test in September, as mentioned by his mother in a radio interview last week. Forensic pathologist Raquel Fortun has cautioned against immediately attributing the brain hemorrhage to the teacher’s slap due to vague details in the hospital-issued death certificate.
Since 2012, DepEd has banned the use of corporal punishment for disciplining students and implemented a zero-tolerance policy against child abuse, exploitation, violence, discrimination, bullying, and other forms of abuse.
