ORMOC CITY – A 14-year-old Grade 9 student is under investigation after he was allegedly caught in possession of suspected illegal drugs inside the campus of Javier National High School in Javier, Leyte, authorities said on Thursday, July 16.
The student, identified only by the alias “CMC” in compliance with laws protecting the identity of minors, was apprehended on Thursday after school personnel reportedly recovered a sachet containing a white crystalline substance believed to be an illegal drug.
Police said the Javier Municipal Police Station received a call for assistance at around 11:30 a.m. from a teacher after a school staff member reported the incident.
According to the investigation, the student and two of his classmates had been reprimanded for loitering near the staircase leading to the school’s roof deck.
As they were being escorted toward the guardhouse, the minor allegedly removed a small plastic sachet from his pocket and threw it toward a parked electric bicycle.
The school staff member immediately retrieved the sachet and found it contained a white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu.
The three students were then brought to the principal’s office, where school officials reported the incident to the police.
Responding officers coordinated with the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) of Javier, which assisted in handling the case involving the child in conflict with the law (CICL).
The recovered sachet was marked and inventoried in the presence of the school staff member who recovered it, an MSWDO social worker, two elected barangay officials from Poblacion Zone I, and the student’s parent. Police said they also attempted to secure the presence of a media representative during the inventory, but none was available.
Authorities have submitted the recovered evidence to the Regional Forensic Unit 8 for laboratory examination to determine its contents and weight.
Police said the incident occurred at around 9:20 a.m. inside the school campus.
The investigation is ongoing to determine how the student obtained the suspected illegal drugs and whether other individuals may have been involved.
Under Republic Act No. 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, children in conflict with the law are entitled to special legal protection and rehabilitation. While criminal liability may not automatically attach to minors below a certain age, authorities are required to coordinate with social welfare officers and ensure that their rights are protected throughout the investigation.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA, ELVIE ROMAN ROA)
