The Pigcawayan National High School in Pigcawayan, North Cotabato province.
COTABATO CITY – Students of a public school in North Cotabato are mourning the untimely death of a student who was hit by a punch in the nape by his classmate-friend during a brief quarrel on Wednesday.
Both the victim and the suspect were playing when they suddenly engaged in a quarrel and a punch was thrown as they went out of the classroom at 4 p.m. at the4 Pigcawayan National High School, according to school principal Isidro Quitor.
The 17-year-old ninth-grader died hours after he was hit by his 15-year-old classmate-friend, Quitor said.
He said the victim and several of his classmates were cleaning their classroom when the victim grabbed the suspect by his neck, and dragged him, saying, “Let’s go home.”
The suspect, whose identity was withheld by school authorities, punched the victim on his nape, knocking the latter unconscious on the floor.
Witnesses said the suspect and other classmates rushed the victim to the school clinic. Later, he was moved to a hospital in Pigcawayan where he was declared dead.
“I have repeatedly reminded students to refrain from physical jokes, or confrontation to avoid inflicting injuries to others,” Quitor told reporters in the vernacular.
Jason, the victim’s brother, said the family was informed that it was not intentional and that the two were close friends.
The suspect was turned over to the municipal social welfare office while the families of the parties involved were trying to settle the matter amicably. (PNA)
