Friday, February 20, 2015

Letter from a Reader: Thoughts on the British School Manila Suicide Incident

Image courtesy of www.facebook.com

Dear Fashion Pulis,

I have seen the post on your site about Liam Madamba's suicide and have read all the comments. They all say "it's not the teacher's fault" and that the parents should have been more responsible. I believe that the story on the news is incomplete. All it does is make Liam Madamba look like a petty and spoiled child who committed suicide just because he got scolded. I, and the rest of the BSM community, can assure you that this is not what happened. 

Liam was a straight A student. His mom says he was on target for a 44. IB students take 6 subjects and study them in-depth. They are given grades from 1-7, 7 being the highest. Additionally, they are forced to submit a 4000-word extended essay and several Theory of Knowledge essays to the IB Organization for their bonus 3 points. IB students often sleep at 3 or 4:00 in the morning - some even get no sleep due to the intense workload. Furthermore, they have to complete 150 hours of Creativity, Action & Service. Additionally, most of them take part in a range of extracurricular activities, as most of these kids aim to go to top colleges abroad. This is how stressful it is.

All of Liam's classmates describe Liam as a wonderful, well adjusted, and thoughtful boy. He was well mannered and respectful with elders. He's the kind of kid that parents wanted to see hanging around with their kids. He is what everyone would call "a good kid". This teacher - on the other hand - is nothing but bad news. She screams at students, her voice can be heard from adjacent rooms, kids try to avoid taking her classes. There are many bad stories about her, but I will set them aside for brevity.

The bulletin board on the second floor of BSM shows the grades of the top graduates of 2014, and there is only one student there with a perfect score of 45 - a kid who went on to study at Harvard. The next highest grade was a 42. This person went on to Stanford, if memory serves me right. When I last talked to Liam (which was about a month ago), he told me he was aiming for UBC (University of British Columbia), as he had relatives in Vancouver, but I think now he was probably being modest as his grades would have been good enough to get into any school in the world. The only issue is - would that school offer Liam a scholarship? Tuition in these schools is stratospheric - costing more than P3M a year.

Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge - what a dream that might have been. Most parents would give their right hand to have a son that good. 

When his teacher discovered that one paragraph in Liam's essay was the same as his classmate's, all she should have done is given him 15 minutes of detention as written in the rule book and advised him to cite his sources, or paraphrase the offending paragraph. She obviously abused her authority. Instead, she went ballistic. Let me remind you that what was submitted was a rough draft, and as consequences of not meeting deadline in BSM are very severe, teachers often pressure students and tell them to just "submit what they have". Thus, many students have elements of copied work or uncited sources in their essays, which they plan to remove or change in future edits. This is because everyone knows that plagiarism is strictly forbidden by the IB and if caught doing so, you will not be given an IB diploma and you will be blacklisted. Let me remind you that this teacher is known to abuse her power especially ever since she was promoted as IB coordinator. Liam was humiliated, bullied and made an example of.

She asked Liam and his classmate to apologize publicly. She asked them to write their public apology on a sheet of paper. She threatened Liam with the loss of his scholarship. Then she told Liam that he might not be allowed to graduate. She screamed and humiliated Liam in front of a lot of people.  I think she suspected that either Liam and his classmate were collaborating or that one had copied from the other. She separated the two, hoping to extract a confession.  Unsatisfied, she later sent Liam an email, asking him to talk to his parents about the events of the day (Thursday), or she would be forced to talk to them on Friday, the day Liam died.  Then she told Liam to junk his TOK essay and come to her office on Monday, whereupon he would be given a new topic and would be given two hours to do his new TOK essay, WHICH TAKES MONTHS TO PLAN AND RESEARCH ABOUT by the way. Then, he was ordered to apologize in front of the whole ASSEMBLY where 900 students and several teachers & staff would be. Let me remind you that he was a few months from graduation and taking his final exams... Imagine all the pressure he felt plus other factors such as his dad having cancer. Is it really fair for her to do this, when her job is to advise students and ensure that they get the highest IB grade possible?

Liam, on the other hand, probably believed all these threats, and did not want to be humiliated in front of the entire student body, lose his scholarship, see his grades plummet, and dash his dreams of getting a scholarship to study abroad. This is a kid who would sleep at 3am and get up at 5am to go to school. So you can better understand how devastating this is to the boy.

Clearly this was cruel and unusual punishment. It was certainly against IB rules (I woudn't be surprised if BSM were later sanctioned severely by the International Baccalaureate Organization).  It would certainly cause Liam's TOK grade to plummet, and probably dash his hopes of getting into a premier school.

What gets me though is, why does the school refuse to discuss the events that transpired on Thursday?  Why does the school mass email every BSM parent, on the day Liam dies, a study that says 90% of people that commit suicide are mentally ill, implying that Liam was probably mentally ill?  Why does the school refuse to share any details? Why desecrate Liam's memory?

They are making the said teacher look like a victim. I know that she cannot be fully blamed, but to say she has no responsibility in all of this is UNFAIR and obviously UNTRUE. THEY ARE TRYING TO COVER UP THE ISSUE AND PROTECT THEIR REPUTATION. The way the school is handling this matter disgusts me.

He was a good kid. Anyone that remotely knew Liam will attest to that.  I've known him since he was in grade 1. Liam was the kind of boy parents wanted their kid to hang out with. He was kind, thoughtful, polite. He was, what parents call "a good influence".  Not a day goes by that I do not think of Liam.

All the students know what happened. However, they are afraid to speak up as any statement they make can be used against them. The school even warns them not to use social media. There is an immense culture of "deal with your own problems" and you just sit there and take in all the teacher's BS if you don't want your grade pulled down for unknown reasons. All of Liam's classmates are upset, and have been going to school wearing black. However, there's nothing they can do.

I don't know why the teacher was so hard on Liam that day. Perhaps she was having a rough day. Perhaps she had problems at home. I do know that for her to heal, and for everyone involved to heal, she will have to come clean and tell the truth . If she really believed that Liam had to apologize publicly, then she knows that she owes it to Liam to apologize to his parents, and to apologize to the school. And the school needs to take steps so that this sort of thing never happens again. Only then can any sort of true healing be possible. 

Yours truly, 
Hippie Mom

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257 comments:

  1. Shame on the people who stigmatized. This kid committed suicide because it was too much for him to handle. Not everyone has the same coping ability. If he weren't nurtured well by his family he wouldn't have been performing well in school and wouldn't be described as a charming, bubbly boy by his friends. I believe that teacher should be held liable. One soul gone. Rest in peace and may transparency prevails. In matters like this, school is more concern of reputation than giving justice.

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    1. RIP Liam. With all due respect kay Hippie mom & doon sa may personal na kilala siya, sana they tried to help nung buhay pa si Liam. Baka naagapan pa. Kasi kahit anong kwento natin its useless kasi wala na iyong tao. Aanhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo. Patahimikin na nila si Liam, at dasalan.

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    2. Maganda ang english, may dalawa lang na clearn na mali:

      1) May transparency prevails
      2) School is more concern

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    3. The school is too shame to admit that they have students who are not capable to handle stress. Books and grades cannot teach you about the reality of life. Apparently, the boy was raised with only one goal - too study abroad. Do or die! Narrow minded people. Wasted life

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    4. Anon 3:14 how can someone share advice or console someone if he/she doesn't talk to them about it. Teens this day tend to keep everything from themselves to avoid hassle and sabi nga sa letter may sakit ang father nya so grabe talaga ang pressure na dinadala nya plus ang hirap nya sa school dahil parang perfectionist yung school na yun. So I can't imagine the feeling he kept inside him..parang ang bigat2 ng pakiramdam and siguro gustong-gusto nya talagang makapag-aral sa abroad to have a brighter future and to help his family kaya when he was threatened na baka mawala yun dahil lang sa ballistic teacher na yun nawalan na sya ng pag-asa...lets just pray for his family and for the kid to peacefully move on..lets pray na rin sa teacher nya na sana makatulog pa sya ng mahimbing.

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    5. Anon 3:14, "Unsatisfied, she later sent Liam an email, asking him to talk to his parents about the events of the day (Thursday), or she would be forced to talk to them on Friday, the day Liam died."

      It all happened too fast. Maybe nobody got the chance to know that the kid is going through this kind of problem until he killed himself. Masyadong nastress and napressure yung bata. To mentally abuse the child like that is really cruel.

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    6. kaw ba naman matulog madalas ng 2hours lng, at may sobrang nangstress pa, swerte mo kung makapag isip ka pa ng matino. sobra ang stress na ginawa para sa 17 yo. iba iba tayo ng weakness at coping mech. rip liam, makuha mo sana justice na nararapat sau.

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    7. The school is not to be blamed as they did not ask the parents to enroll in that school. A parent should know her own child's capacity , abilities and limitations. The problem there in the Philippines is that if you have the money you can enroll your child to those schools regardless of their natural ability. Their children becomes an extension of their unfulfilled dreams. There are gifted children and there are also hardworkers or plain studious kids. Pushing kids to be the best is well-intentioned. It is nat ural for a parent to worry that they will be left behind in a competitive world. Ironically, it backfires psychologically and academically. The scariest manifestation of this culture of perfectionism occurs with teens who are troubled, but fool people by appearing happy and being “successful.” They hide behind a false self – an unconscious adaptation designed to secure love and admiration, compartmentalizing negative feelings and parts of the self that would create conflict or disapproval. The psychological makeup of such teens is so fragile. Without the space to find their own way, yhese teens fail to develop an inner-directed sense of self to anchor them (Levine, 2006). Alternatively, encouraging teens to think and advocate for themselves, make their own choices, and experience natural consequences such of their decisions such as failure fosters the development of identity, values, responsibility, and competence.
      Stop the blame game.
      It is hard to lose a child but demonizing somebody or an institution for that loss is simply absurd and senseless.
      A whole community failed him.

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    8. Pangalanan na ang "teacher" na yan

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    9. Parents, Teachers and Kids should watch "3 idiots". It is a bollywood film starring Amir Khan. It is really a great film that is somehow related to this story.

      Seriously, too much pressure is dangerous to anyone. I hope the teacher would realize everything.

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    10. What the teacher did was a contributing factor sa ginawa ni Liam, yun yung naging breaking point nya. But putting all the blame on the teacher is too much.

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    11. Anon 3:59, I do not know what school you went to or what degree you have but as for me, a doctor, I do understand the kid. I have gone through hell like him. I was in a similar scenario, too. Each of us have different goals in life, to study abroad is what Liam wanted. Imagine that being taken away from you just because your teacher was power tripping. I dont think you should question the way he was raised, he was loved by everyone. I think he's more than just a kid who studied hard and got good grades to please his parents.

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    12. RIP Liam. Here's a passage from the fault in our stars; "You get all these friends, just when you don't need friends anymore."

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    13. sayang siya mukha pa naman siyang virgin

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    14. Sana wag niyo naman paratangan na nangopya si Liam patay na nga binababoy pa. Wala namang proof maliban dun sa titser na nagakusa. May titser din ako ganyan dati nangopya daw ako sa katabi ko. Naka 80 ako, eh iyong katabi ko 50. Ako pa pinaratangang nangopya sa bagsak. Kalurki mga titser masahol pa sa nakakatol lalo na pag buntis o di nadidiligan. Nagiging monster. Afraid

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    15. ganda ng teacher kamukha ni jennifer garner

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  2. Di ba may batas na anti bullying, di sinampahan niya sana. O pinipilit siyang gawin ang sa tingin niya di tama, coercion yon ah. Sana kahit sa principal man lang nagsumbong. Nako iyong mga titser ko nga dati, para akong si Sharon Cuneta kung dumaloy ang luha ko dahil sa pagpapahirap sa akin. Ang point is wala namang madali. Lalo na kung may pangarap kang ibig mong inaabot. Kasi siya din lugi sa ginawa niya. Iyong titser buhay pa. Momol na. Tuloy ang ikot ng mundo eh. Pero sana ang magulang wag naman super mega duper high expectations. Kasi minsan nakakawindang sa utak at confidence ang ganon. Di ko sinabi iyon ang nangyari base lang iyan sa aking karanasan

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    1. This case is entirely different from yours. You weren't there, so your comment is irrelevant.

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    2. 1:40 it's not irrelevant in fact we are reminded of the anti bullying law. Ang irrelevant comment ay yung pumupuna ng spelling, grammar, at comment ng iba kasi walang maisip. So ang moral lesson ba suicide is acceptable kasi binully at tinorture ng teacher? O kaya dapat binebaby ng teacher mga studyante niya? Ganoong comment pasado sa iyo? Eh di Bondying labas mo niyan

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    3. Kaya nga eh. Liam was only 18. Iba mag isip ang tao pag 18 hindi nya maiisip lumaban or lalo na magsampa ng kaso against the teacher. Hindi pa mature mag isip ang 18.

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    4. Sometimes a person get so weak especially if he is losing the most important thing in his life. How can someone help Liam if it happened a day or a couple of days before he committed suicide? I thinks his friends helped him in all ways that they can but the boy is just devastated and couldn't bear losing his scholarship and everything. Prayers for you, Liam. May you find peace and comfort from our Lord.

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    5. 1:40 sana nakuha mo ang ibig sabihin ni 12:49, lakas ng loob teh at tiwala sa sarili sana ang nagkaroon pa si Liam maliban sa katalinuhan niya, baka kung pumasa siya at nasa harvard na o kung saan man ay di rin niya kayanin kung ganoon ang teacher sa kanya. Lahat tayo pagdadaanan at pagdadaanan ang klase ng tao na tulad ng teacher ni Liam, school man o work, at sa ganoong sitwasyon, hindi lang basta talino at sipag ang kailangan mo.

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    6. I was bullied by my professor when I was in college, ofcourse sinabi ko sa parents ko and to my aunt who also works in the same university.. So they confronted the professor, it didn't solved the problem, it has gotten worse, what she did was bullied the entire block and blamed it on me, because my folks complained. Having all eyes on you, being a graduating student, and having fearful friends who cannot fight with you (or else they will experienced the same fate as I do) there is nothing I cannot do but to accept defeat.. To bow my head until graduation comes.. I think in this situation it is not that parents didn't do anything on their end, maybe because he is too young and too afraid to dissapoint his folks, he did the very first thing he can think of, the fastest solution he could do. We cannot judge him or his friends or parents, sometimes people think differently when there is desperation and fear..

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  3. Wow! Didn't I tell you, the boy was threatened and tortured emotionally. How I wish the teacher would come to her senses and make amend for what she did. Apologize and ask forgiveness.....that's all what she have to do. Rest in peace Liam, don't worry people who did that to you will have their own punishment in time.

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  4. what the teacher did was too much! 3/4 ng cause ng suicide ng bata xa ang ngtrigger

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    1. She should have known better. Madalas kapag masyadong matalino, mababa ang EQ. It could've been a different story. Sad. May he rest in peace.

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    2. Ang mga classmates anong nangyari? Naging mga pipi? Paano makakasuhan ang mga taong may kinalaman lalo na ang teacher at school kung ang mga witness mismo ay takot magsalita? Mga bright kids pero walang freedom of speech? Paano yan?

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    3. Anon 3:40 they can't do anything nga kasi nakasalalay ang future nila,

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    4. Bright kids? Porket international school bright na agad. Magfocus muna students nila about the value and sanctity of life. Suicide is never the answer. Theres more to life. Hindi magsasalita mga yan. Ano ipaglalaban nila. "magpakamatay pag nahuling nagcheat sa essay"

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  5. There are really kind of professors na akala mo they ruled the world. I have a prof before teachhing history and the topic is islam. She said many bad things against islam as in inis xa. Too late to found out na may muslim kaming classmate. She was so hard nung una as in akala mo kahit evil matatakot skanya, pero nawala kulay nya nung magalit classmate ko. I understand this boy, tsk.. Yung stress pagod at walang tulog nya plus ung pananakot skanya nagtrigger to end his life. So sorry for what happened to u, may tou rest in peace.

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  6. Kung totoo ang version ng story na to dapat dyan IDEMANDA ng parents. Sa US pwedeng Gawin yan ewan ko Lang sa pinas. Hindi dapat hinahayaan ng mga pinoy na abusuhin ang kalahi natin ng isa lamang dayuhang banyaga na nabubuhay at kumikita mula sa tuition fees ng mga rich pinoys! Ang mga pinoy winawalanghiya na nga abroad pati ba nman sa sariling Bansa natin hahayaan natin na balahurain tayo ng mga dayuhan na yan!

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    1. Kun pede sa US pede din dito, kinopya lng din natin batas natin sa kanila, at least some high percentage! Kaya gooorah, kasuhan ang dapat managot sa SAF44 at sa kawawang batang eto, sumalangit nawa mga kaluluwa nila!

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  7. Still, the kid has a low EQ. Look at isabel, she didnt tried to commit suicide. Mas malakas loob ng girl. Parang ang tingin nya sa life eh study abroad. R u saying na ang future is.study abroad. It seems students fron that school.has a very narrow minded about school. Parang buhay nila ehbmag aral abroad. Walang saysay ang buhay pag hindi makaka school.abroad? Ung ibang high school.students nga lalo na sa public namomolestya or narerape and yet still.they manage to cling to.life. Suicide is not the solution. Kung di sya guilty sa.plagirsm dapat di sya takot mag explain.

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    1. Baka kc hindi kcng hirap ni liam yun pinagdadaanan ni liam, may cancer pa kc un dad ni liam, malamang hindi na nakayanan ng bata.

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    2. Yes. Because the kind of people you mentioned have nothing else to cling on. Plus they were raised with nothing so they have the ability to survive. If you were in his shoes where he had a s**t load of personal problems and he was merely holding on to his studies for that little bit of sanity and happiness yet gets blown to his face. Would you still have said the same thing? Poor people will survive because that's how they are raised-- to squat and grab and take what is not theirs. There. I said it.

      He worked hard for whatever he was working on to reach that point of depression from the insane rejection he received from the professor.

      A word to the wise.. Don't compare the squatter b*****s of our country to the working and elite class. Racism/classism is still prevalent.

      From somebody who tried to take her own life

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    3. I agree.. Isabelle chose to overcome the possible degradation and carry on with her life. For me, that's a real tough cookie.
      Committing suicide is not a panacea to get away a problem.

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    4. ayusin mo muna punctuations mo, ang sakit sa mata. don't compare experiences of different individuals na rin pwede, magkakaiba naman yan in so many levels. isa ka pang sabaw ang utak.

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    5. Exactly, dont compare. Siguro si liam nacompare sarili sa past achievers at graduates ng school. Edi ayan nag suicide. Dont compare!

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    6. 1:38 Di lang ganyang problema ang haharapin mo sa mundo, at huwag mo kami daanin sa ingles mo at pagbabash kung di mo type comment namin. Naamoy kita. Classmate ka noh! At wala kaming pakiaalam sa galit mo sa binabanggit mong squatters at sa kakayanan nilang magsurvive. Dapat iyan ang tinuro mo sa kaibigan mo!

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    7. Pwede rin na dumadanas ang depression ang bata. Nagpakamatay si Robin Williams dahil sa depression. Hindi mo kayang pigilan.

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    8. If i have the means to let my children abroad, why not?? Lahat ng tao gusto best education lalo na if talagang matalino yung bata. Iba pa din ang mararating ng taong nagaral sa napaka gandang school. Yun ang pangarap nya at walang masama na maghangad ka na makapag aral abroad. if you are the mom/dad, dapat super proud ka na ganun ang anak mo towards education. Ako ng nung kinder anak ko may star lang tuwanf-tuwa na eh what more kung straight A student ang anak at magkakaron ng scholarship abroad.

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    9. 2:25 tama don't compare pero un maggawa ka ng story, iba na un. grabe ginawa mo, kaya nagsuicide dahil kinompare ang sarili sa past achiever? wow, ang harsh mo. RIP Liam.

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    10. Stop the victim blaming people! Any type of abuse should never be tolerated.

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    11. Different strokes for different folks. Mahirap ba intindihin?

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    12. And you are talking about squatters? We , whom you have called low level of life are more stronger than elites with high level of education. There are more, way more different kinds of problem that a squatters overcome, worse than this boy sufferred. I won't blame the boy for being weak on problems but for the school, investigate. There are hidden things on this.

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    13. 1:38 maka "squatter" and 'poor people' ka naman!

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    14. Anon 1:38 --- not all poor people are raised that way ("to take what is not theirs")...definitely you are narrow-minded...i came from a poor family and yet i was taught how to work hard and reach for my goals

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  8. Ang jaba! Wala po bang summary?

    Char.

    infer kamukha nya si aj perez. Both sayang.

    may his soul rest in peace.

    sa teacher na bully, usigin ka nawa ng konsensya mo. School should never be a taste of hell to students. Have a little heart naman lalo na sa mga nagsusumikap na mga estudyante

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  9. In a classroom, there are 3 things: the student(s), the teacher, and the lesson. Kung sa mag-asawa, "it takes two to tango", sa silid-aralan naman, tatlo silang dapat balanse.

    Whatever went through Liam's mind we may never fully understand, but I think we should at least not desecrate his memory. May God forgive your soul, Liam. RIP.

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    1. May god forgive your soul liam. Rip.

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    2. 1:03 AM I couldn't agree more

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  10. Eh bakit di nagsuicide yung girl hippietamus?

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    1. Baka kasi hindi scholar si girl kaya she has nothing to lose.

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    2. KasI nga everyone has a distinctive personality and different ways of coping.

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    3. So.kung scholar at matalino.may karapatan mag suicide? Pag normal.student ..dedma lang? I will rather choose to have a son or daughter na normal i.q. Pero matatag ang loob compared sa matalino pero over sensitive. Ung may mga cancer at disease, everyday nagdarasal ng mabuhay pa sila and yet here is a kid, napahiya at nawalan ng scholarship tumalon at kinitil ang buhay? How ironic... Kung pwede lang makipag palit ng life im sure madami pipila sa kanya para maki exchange ng life

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    4. anon 1:41 obviously wala kang alam sa psycology..wala sa tatag ng loob yan may mga personalities tlga na suicidal.kaya wag mong icompare. parang sinisisi mo yung bata na nagsuicide...nkaranas ka na ba ng matinding depresyon sa buhay? try mo muna para maintndhan mo xa. echosera ka.

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    5. Anon.234 so sino sisisihin ung ibang tao? If u have depression, is dat a ticket for you to be treated like a baby? Bawal maheart broken kasi may depression, bawal pagalitan ng boss kasi may depresion, bawal mabully kasi may depresion? U cannot control how people will treat you! But u can always control your emotion or the way you react towards the action of other people.

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  11. Tpos may cancer pa pala un dad nya, kaya cgro hindi nakapag open sa mom nya about sa problme sa school,

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    1. My thoughts exactly. Ayaw na siguro ng bata na mas ma stress yung parents nya at maging disappointment sya.

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  12. Isn't the teacher related to the school's headmaster? Either way, she should feel responsible.

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  13. Awww poor kid. #justiceforLiam, strength for liam's family And
    Kudos for hippie mom for being Liam's voice ♥

    Everyone has their breaking point... and though suicide is wrong, lets not judge the person or their family, like we know everything that happened. Most importantly, lets not promote evil, saying stuff like "it's not the teacher's fault", is giving that person and teachers like her, the confidence that they did nothing wrong.

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    1. Lets not blame the teacher alone! And for god sake, hindi na natin maibabalik ang buhay ng bata.. Bottom line. Hindi tama magpakamatay!! Its a mortal sin.. Masakit man tanggapin, pero yun ang totoo, dapat may moral
      Lesson nalang tayo dapat matutunan dito, para hndi na maulit toh. At sa parteng ng magulang, we cant blame them,they just want a clear answer, why there son snap just like that..

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    2. I agree with you. may liam be with our Lord.

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  14. I am sad about the loss of a promising young man. But from what I am reading, there are really a lot of questions. A well-adjusted young man does not take his life. Not even when pressures are daunting. It seems to me that something is wrong with the family's dynamics with each other. I can only guess, of course. But you give a person one goal and if he loses sight of that goal, then everything looks bleak for him. To parents, nothing wrong with trying to give your kids the best chance in life, but is it really healthy for kids not to sleep or sleep at 4am? These are kids after all. Ano na lang pagtungtong nila ng college or beyond? They are going to be kids for 20 or so years, then they are going to work for another 40 years. Puro ganun na lang ba?

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    1. Maybe he was suffering from depression.

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    2. you have he best comment. i totally agree with you. when you break just because of one goal, no matter what it is, you cope. otherwise, you are not well balanced, even if you look like it. stop blaming people. suicide happens because of the person's perception of circumstances. that there is no hope anymore.

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  15. Ay naku para sa akin nagkulang silang lahat! His family, friends, this bully teacher and his school failed him. Too much pressure and expectations.

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    1. Lahat naman talaga may pagkukulang ayaw nga lang aminin ng bawat panig.

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    2. meron din yang pressure sa family kaya hindi nakapag-open up, expec+ations .....

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  16. This kid must have psychological problem. NO ONE in their right mind could even consider taking their own life. Keep that in mind. Siguro depressed na talaga sya and nakadagdag ang nangyari sa school.

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    1. Psychological problem is different from depression.

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    2. go away natalie mann, there i said it.

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    3. 1:54 am clinical depression is a psychological problem and it is associated with suicide as per NIH with supporting data at that.

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  17. Chill, Hippie Mom, if the teacher and the school would admit accountability that would tarnish the alma mater's image but if they have guilty conscience, they would have to reach Out to the kid's parents and ammend their school's guidance council to prevent future recurrence of said events... But if this teacher and school are devoid of conscience and humanity, they better wait for KARMA. Teachers should teach right values and guide students for better future. If they want to discipline students they should not resort to threats and bullying.

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    1. The teacher actually taught liam a very important value. Be honest, dont cheat or plagiarize just to reach your goal.

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    2. Anon 4:06, the intention was good but the execution was terribly wrong.

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    3. 4:06 but that doesn't justify puting unnecessary pressure on the kid. di na niya madadala yung "important value" na sinsabi mo kasi wala na si Liam

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    4. 4:06, medyo mahina comprehension mo, through humiliation and coercion, dun ba natuturo ang values? nkakairita ang comment mo, actually.

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    5. 4:06 AM Hindi sapat na yun lang ang ituro n'ya. Dapat alam rin ng teacher ituro sa student n'ya kung paano maghandle ng failure nila. Walang perfect kaya dapat alam na alam ng teacher kung paano maghandle ng nagkamaling student. At hindi n'ya nagawa kay Liam yun.

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    6. Andun na tayo sa value of honesty, @4:06. Pero para sayo, kung sa anak mo sinabi ng teacher niya ang lahat ng yun dahil "nangopya" siya, di ka ba magaamok? May tamang way para ipag-take ng responsibility ang BATA. Yun ba ang tamang way?

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    7. To the point of humiliating him in public? When the school's handbook says punishment should only be detention?! What lesson? Abuse your power?!

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    8. As I said right values....honesty, yes, but how the value of righteousness, in other words 4:06...pagtatama Ng Mali sa tama paraan...the teacher could have ask for further explanation from the students with threats...teaching is two way, you teach and you learn.

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  18. The IB program is grueling. This poor boy cracked under unnecessary pressure from this egotistic teacher. May this sc**bag of an educator get what she deserves. RIP Liam.

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    Replies
    1. the IB program is what his parents want for their child, they should have been more aware of the consequences

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  19. Yes i think so too. Why dont the school talk? And why are the students so afraid to turn to social media? Baligtad na ata ngaun. Ang students ang takot sa school! BS! Kapal ng school na to!

    If i am the parent iddemanda ko ang teacher at ttanggalan ko ng license ang school and teacher!

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    Replies
    1. why would the other students jeopardize their own future over someone's selfish act

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  20. Depressed na bata. Nahuli pang nangopya.

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    Replies
    1. kaw ba di nangopya? essay po un, maaring nakaligtaan lang ilagay ang may author nun passage dahil draft pa lng naman. nangyari na yan sakin pero di naman ako hiniya, pinaalala lang sakin na ilagay un sources.

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    2. hindi masyado matalino, dapat kasi nangopya tapos hindi nagpahuli

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  21. I'm sorry for the family's loss, however, this is not the teachers fault whatsoever. Draft or final paper, at the end of the day, Liam and his classmate plagiarized / cheated. It was clear and evident. As an educator myself, I believe the teacher simply wanted to prove a point. Just because you are a scholar, you have excellent grades, your dad has cancer, it doesn't mean you can get away with cheating. Maybe she was a bit harsh, yes. However, any normal child would NEVER in their right mind think of suicide as the first resort in a situation like this. I was never a good student myself in school, and I was often reprimanded and embarrassed by my teachers, but suicide never crossed my mind EVER. We can't put all the blame on the teacher. Why not just admit that Liam could have been depressed on the inside? Well adjusted kids don't kill themselves because their teacher lashed out at them. Just because he seemed happy on the outside doesn't mean he was really okay. To me he seemed to be under a lot of pressure, too much pressure to be exact. His mom was an educator, the father had cancer, he was gunning for top of the class status, scholarship on the line, pressure to get into top foreign schools...maybe he had too much on his plate? The incident with his teacher was the breaking point, but how could she have known what the boy was dealing with? In the end, he cheated, and she was just giving him due punishment. Everyone needs to stop being in denial, the kid had problems. Liam, you were gone too soon, but rest now knowing you are free of any responsibilities up there with God. May you have eternal rest with Him.

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    1. Educator ka pa man din so dapat alam mo na iba-ibang tao, iba-ibang way mag cope sa stress. Di Any normal kid can have moments of depression especially kung kulang sa tulog. At bakit nagkulang sa tulog? kasi masyadong mabigat ang workload sa school as described by the poster.

      People undergoing bouts of depression are also normal people.

      As for the plagiarism angle, draft nga po yun. pwede pang i-remind ang bata to cite his sources. Nagkamali once, di na pwede i-tama? These are kids. Nagkakamali. Even adults nagkakamali. Ang importante sana i-guide natin sila para i-tama ang pagkakamali nila. Kung ang due punishment for you is ipahiya nang teacher ang bata sa madlang people, for sure maraming mga bata pa ang ma push into depression.

      Educator ka pa naman.

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    2. Anon 4:32, kahit pa nag cite sya ng source, kung word for word, plagiarism pa rin iyon.

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    3. Very true, anon

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    4. Buti na lang hindi kita naging teacher. Hindi ka dapat tawaging teacher kasi ang pangit ng ugali mo. Pinagtatanggol mo ang isang tao at isang situation na hindi mo naman alam ang buong katotohanan sa likod ng mga pangyayari. Isip isip din pag may time. Masyado tayong one-sided kung mag isip. Masyadong makitid.

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    5. i totally agree with you @ 4:32.

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    6. mukhang wala po kayong alam about sa policy ng school ni Liam. may due punishment un ginawa ni Liam pero hindi po un ang sinunod ng prof, gumawa po sya ng sarili, di naayon sa policy. kaya mali po un paraan na ginawa ng teacher. ang mabuting teacher po ang gumagabay hindi nanghihiya at gumagawa ng sariling rules sa pagddisiplina. lesson na rin yan dun sa teacher. para maiwasan ang ganoong problem dpat may root cause analysis, hindi un kakalimutan at tatakpan. walang mareresolve un.

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    7. People who are "kulang sa tulog" are not clinically depressed. Get your facts straight. Clinical depression is what leads to suicide. Have you ever heard of a case na dahil kulang sa tulog, nagpakamatay? clinical depression does not just turn on one day and get bad, it has to have been there for more than 6 months. Suicidal thoughts dont just show up one day. And- Draft or not it was plagiarism. He is an IB student and he knew that.

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    8. you said it yourself, you were not a good student, so you won't be able to relate. educator ka pa naman.

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    9. 2:04, nkakatawa ka, hindi nman proven na nag-cheat sila eh. so, klangan alam muna ng teacher nia kung depress muna sya bago sya ipahiya, gnun? kung grabe tlaga ang curriculum nila, mahirap tlga pinagddaanan ng bawat estudyante dyan, lalo na ang mga scholars, sya ay teacher dun, so sya ang dapat mas nkakaalam nun, higit kanino man. we will never know what exactly liam feels dahil wala tayo sa posisyon niya.

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    10. I'm shaking my head, EDUCATOR.

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    11. DUE PUNISHMENT? Tingin mo sapat na gawin ng isang guro iyon sa estudyante niya? Andun nako sa masama ang mangopya, I studied in a top-notch university which have strict rules regarding plagiarism, too, pero hello OA ng teacher ah. Meron samin nahuling nagplagiarize. Ano lang nakuha niya from our prof? A grade point of 0.0 in her transcript, a note in her transcript na may case siya with the student council, and she had to retake the subject a year from the incident. Yun LANG ang due punishment. Lahat, under ng batas ng pamantasan. Di na siya tinakot at binully pa ng professor kasi uncalled for yun kahit san mo tignang anggulo. Wala akong paki kung stressed ang prof or kakahiwalay lang sa asawa or nagpariwara ang anak. Kailangan niyang maging professional pagtapak niya sa school grounds at ang pambubully never naging professional. Gets mo na, "educator"?

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    12. tama @4:32 AM, educator pa naman itong si @2:04 AM...nde alam na iba-iba ang tao, ang kayang ihandle na stress, coping up...hay...

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    13. can you imagine a teacher going through long pages of essays, this is actually a teacher doing her job properly.

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    14. Spotting the mistake was doing her job properly but the following actions were definitely not

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  22. This is why I will never put any pressure on my children to be overly excellent in school. Id rather have a kid who is just average but strong and happy, than a kid who is so pressured to excel and can snap in one bit.

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    1. Same with me. I don't pressure my kid to be ahead, he can be average as long as he is well-adjusted. As long as he learns the basics that would be fine. No need to be in the rat race this early.

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    2. he was described as well-adjusted but he has no one to talk to. i bet everyone in school is like serious competiion

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    3. am not sure if that is the right attitude to take. you might be lowring the bar for them and isntead of excelling when they can, they don't even try.

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  23. "When his teacher discovered that one paragraph in Liam's essay was the same as his classmate's, all she should have done is given him 15 minutes of detention as written in the rule book"

    Ayos naman pala dito sa school na ito ah. So let say ang ginawa mo ay 10 paragraph essay tapos lahat copied sa isang classmate mo, does this mean 10x15 minutes lang ang detention mo? Ok ah.

    Seriously, there are more serious problem than loosing scholarship. Manood ka ng Eat Bulaga, yung Juan for All All for Juan portion nila. Makikita mo doon yung students na walang pang bayad ng tuition fee kaya nag wo work sa gabi at nag aaral sa umaga. You don't see them committing suicide sa hirap ng buhay. Sabi nga ni pareng Darwin sa kanto namin, survival of the fittest. Life naturally selects the fittest and if you can't make it, your genes will not get passed to the next generation thereby removing your genes from the pool. There are other means to reach your dream, but suicide is the easy way out of your problems and that is the hard truth.

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    Replies
    1. Please don't undermine the kid's problem by comparing it to another's person's problems. Iba ang sitwasyon at environment ng batang nag suicide. Not saying that what he did was right or acceptable dahil hindi yun ang tamang response sa problema nya.

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    2. It is just a rough draft. Ang punishment dyan 15 minutes at kakausapin ang parents.

      These essays are externally assessed. SO ichecheck yan several times ng teachers bago ipadala to ensure that it gets the highest grade. They are supposed to help the students with their essays

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    3. the teachers are also supposed to discipline the students when do something wrong like cheating. tama lang yan public apology. takot pala mapahiya pero lakas ng loob mandaya.

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  24. To that horrible teacher, I do hope that your conscience would get you and keep reminding you that his blood will be forever in your hands. Bear in mind that as a teacher, you are the "foster parent" in the classroom and you should put the pupil's needs above your need for superiority.
    BSM, I do hope that you come clean regarding this incident and not wait for another young life to come to a similar tragic end.
    To Liam's family, I do hope that justice be served and my heart goes out to you.

    Kapi Kat

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    Replies
    1. Now this is the problem with people who always like to blame someone. Suicide is a multifactorial problem. Why blame the teacher only? Why not blame EVERYONE, even the parents who are crying foul right now? The problem with people like you is that you based solely on emotions, always subjective, and never tried being objective.

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    2. My thoughts exactly, 320

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    3. may pananagutan naman talaga un teacher, dahil maling paraan un ginawa nya hindi naayon sa policy ng school. un about sa parents, walang akong maicomment dahil wala namang nakasulat sa taas. may pananagutan po tayo sa isat isa kaya piliin natin un mabuting gawain.

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    4. I don't solely blame the teacher for this incident. I am just pointing out that what she has done turned out to be the breaking point and most likely led this boy to take his own life. Like I said, foster parents ang mga teachers pag nasa eskwelahan at hindi drill Sargeants.

      Kapi Kat

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    5. 3:20am, yes, it is multifactorial, mrami syang issues na hnahandle, pero bakit ngayon lang sya ngbreakdown? it's because the teacher was the one who pushed him beyond his limits. i agree with 2:15am, teachers should be the one guiding the students in place of their parents. when we say guiding it doesn't mean spoiling the kids, but leading them to decide/ choose how to deal with school's pressured life.

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    6. kala kasi ng parents pera pera lang sa school na to, pagnakapasok kana sure pasok ka na sa school abroad. turuan niyo kasi mga anak niyong mabuti sa bahay para hindi puro pagiging konyo lang ang alam

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  25. IM TALKING IN GENERAL TERMS. Honestly, children now days are so sheltered. Everything has to be politically correct. They don't end up having a back bone or character and a little misfortune is like the end of the world. Sometimes misfortunes build character and toughens us. I'm not condoning the teacher or blaming the victim. Just some general thoughts. Don't hate

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    1. No you're not speaking in general (and yes I'm correcting you). If you posted this comment under one of the mundane articles like Heart's wedding, yes you can claim to speak in general but since you chose to post your comment about sheltered kids not having backbones these days, that's your passive aggressive way of putting Liam down. Not hating, just stating a fact.

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    2. children nowadays think they worked hard enough because they go to nice schools. but its actually because of their parents hard work and they should be reminded of that. and yes i'm putting Liam down bec suicide is being selfish

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    3. it's better to post and generalise something that is at least similar in topic kesa naman mag post ako under heart's wedding. since this issue brought up bigger and broader topics i think i am in the right place. and Anonymous February 18, 2015 at 10:16 AM for you to conclude that it's a passive aggressive statement, that's on you. like i said im talking in general that most children are too sensitive bec they are too sheltered and they crack at the slightest tension, hence coping skills are not develop.

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    4. magpost ka daw don sa wedding ni heart, eh ito yung usapan. para lang hindi masabing victim blaming ka. katol pa, 10:16.

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  26. Ang daming judgement dito. Kesyo suicide is not the answer, he should've known better etc. This story is no different than the UP scholar who committed suicide (I think Kristel was her name) because she failed to pay her tuition for the said semester, the school headmaster (I think) said it was too late that she might as well just repeat the whole sem) she went home drank muriatic acid, she was dead hours later. Imagine all of your efforts and hard work gone to effin waste! Those sleepless nights, all the research, contracting ulcer and all the useless stuffs you've been through have all gone down the drain! Teachers should always realize that they should act as 2nd parents for these students. Teacher- from the word TEACH -to profess, nurture, develop, impart knowledge. U ain't a friggin teacher if all u ever do is terrorize, scream and shame your students all day. U should show compassion even to the dumbest kid in class. Your goal every single day is to arouse their interests, sustain the attention they've given you and impart the knowledge ure supposed to teach them. That's the key to being a good teacher. Nevrtheless another poor kid is dead, another remarkable future smashed. Nothing will happen if school officials refuse to open their eyes. Action should be taken. Students raise your voice or you will never be heard.

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    1. Kristel and liam are two example of kids with low e.q. Magkaiba... Si liam nagcheat at plagiarze si kristel hindi nakabayad.

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    2. Sorry, but before you cite Kristel's case, research first. I am from her school, and believe me, not being able to pay is not the sole reason why she committed suicide. Educate yourself first about suicide before trying to blame something or someone for it.

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    3. hindi pa rin tayo sure kung nag cheat si liam. dba it's still under investigation pa.

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    4. exactly what i am saying. people stop judging unless you know all the facts.

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    5. plagiarize agad, rough draft pa lng po un. kaya lang po isinulit sa teacher para mabasa at maicorrect ang sa tingin nyang mali. wag po tayong manghusga kagad. since draft pa lng maaring nakalimutan nun bata.

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    6. Engot pala sya eh! Under investigation palang. Nag pakamatay na. Kung di guilty hindi yan tatalon sa building. Flying without wings ang peg nya. Indenial mga frens nya. Walang matinong tao ang magpapakamatay kung di guilty.

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    7. I dont think it was liam's intention to cheat. These exams are externally assessed meaning pinapadala sa IBO. Chinecheck lang ng teacher's yung draft. Feeling ko nilagay nya lang yung paragraph para sa teacher pero aalisin nya din kasi ipapadala nga sa IBO

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    8. May katulad si Liam na isang paragraph sa isang classmate niya. . .ok, pero ano ang PROOF ng professor bakit nasabing nag cheat si Liam?. . Or pa'no kung yun classmate pala ni Liam ang nangopya?. . . Or di ba dapat both Liam at yun classmate ang pinahiya at sinabihang mag apologized in front of the whole students of the said university? . .Nagkaroon muna sana ng private discussion between Liam, yun classmate at ng professor, tapos a meeting with their parents. . .I don't get it why the professor was so harsh, parang nasa military school?!. .

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  27. I am sorry but , HE CRACKED UNDER PRESSURE. my nieces and nephews study on a 43, 000 dollar a year school . THE DEMANDS ARE STEEP AND RIGOROUS AND THEIR EXPECTATIONS OF GETTING INTO STANFORD OR AN IVY LEAGUE SCHOOL IS NOT GUARANTEED because of a large talented applicant pool. A family friend who is in the admissions department even told us that they are not only looking for a well rounded individual ( not only brilliant in academics- excellent GPA, SATS but also excells in sports, active in community services and that special outstanding talent that makes you different from everybody else. ) EVERYBODY FAILED HIM . YOU ARE NOT A CLINICIAN . UNLESS YOu HAVE CLINICAL EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT YOUR ALLEGATIONS, THE TRUTH IS SUICIDE IS ALWAYS ASSOCIATED WITH UNDERLYING MENTAL ILLNESS SUCH AS CLINICAL DEPRESSION. He was probably at the most difficult TIME of his life, the pressure to excell to gain a scholarship was there plus if it's true that the father has cancer , a home situation that can have a powerful psychological effect on a child. Although responses vary significantly with age and the individual, children often react with uncertainty, fear, guilt and anxiety. These stressors must have been too much for the child plus the lack of inadequate social support. It was not the teacher's fault alone. a whole community failed him. So stop pointing fingers on one person. Every parent wants their kids to excell and achieve their full potential but parents or family also needs to realize that it is not the be all and end all of everything, . Teenagers need to be constantly reminded about the LOVE of their family , the Family Support and cohesion that is available to them. Maintaining open communication lines and giving the kids adequate coping adaptive skills in life is necessary so that even if they fail they will not have that feeling of hopelessness in them.

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    Replies
    1. Very well said. It baffles me how people don't understand that a person doesn't just go from "normal" to suicidal in a snap. The seed of clinical depression was planted long ago and the teacher simply unknowingly helped it grow beyond his breaking point.

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    2. Naku galing mo bakla, mataas ka pa sa suma cum laude Pwede ba kitang bigyan ng grade na 100. Tumpak na tumpak ang sagot mo. In denial lang kasi ang mga kapamilya at mga kaibigan, pero totoo sinabi mo, everybody failed him. Wala siyang natakbuhan at nahingan ng tulong. Otherwise buhay pa sana siya. How sad.

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    3. Ayun pala, high grades doesnt guarantee acceptance to school may e.q. Test malamang at for sure bagsak si liam.... The next day papakamatay. Sisisihin maman nila ung school. Ganun din ending, mahina ang character ng bata.

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    4. Great assessment. I fully agree!

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    5. You absolutely correct..2:37 am

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    6. @anonymous 3:38AM the same what my mother said "mahina ang character ng bata" to resort to suicide (my mom is a school registrar)

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    7. I am training to become a licensed clinical psychologist here in the Bay Area and I approve this message. Excellent point right there, sister!

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    8. hindi naman sa sinisisi. hindi kasi pinansin ng school at teacher. un ang tingin kong himutok nila. pinagttatakpan nila pagkakamali nun teacher. mali talaga un. mali din na isisi lng sa teacher pero mali din na pagtakpan.

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    9. 2:37 corrected by ka jan lahat ng sinabi mo yun din ang gusto ko sabihin.

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    10. 3:27 agreed. Sabi ni hippie mom lahat nalungkot ng nawala si Liam, sana dinamayan na lang nila siya noong kailangan sila ng bata. Di ko sinasabing kalabanin yung teacher pero kung nandoon lang sana sila at kausap niya habang may pinagdaraanan, maybe they could get some senses back into him.

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  28. Sobrang depress ma Siguro siya Kaya nagpakamatay na siya. :( ayaw na niya tumakbo sa family to seek help kasi may Sakit ang dad niya ayaw nmdin niya makadagdag ng problema.at the same time maybe his pressure by his parents? Diba GAnito din nangyari sa Anak ni senator Miriam? Bumaksak siya dahil Hinde niya matanggap Kaya ayun he killed himself din.

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  29. dapat bigyan ng sanction or tanggalin yun teacher because of her actions and for not being a good example to the kids but not because the student decided to take his life. decision ng bata yun suicide, hindi sya pinatay. so no need to seek for justice. The teacher just needs to sincerely pray, repent and say sorry to the family.

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    1. i couldn't agree more. May nagpakamatay man o wala, the school still needs to do something with that teacher. Maybe she's the one who needs counselling or anger management sessions. As a 2nd parent, she seems like emotionally unstable and this will have a huge impact on young souls who are just doing their best to reach their dreams.

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    2. very well said.

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    3. Emotionally unstable? Wow big words teh! Kamusta naman ung si liam? Ok ba pag iisip nun? Dapat pinacounsel ang bata bago pinag aral. Isisi ba naman sa iba ang maling pagiisip ng isang tao. Kaloka si hipiemom! Typical mother " walang mali sa anak ko, mabait sya." mahalin mo nalang anak mo, buhusan mo ng pagmamahal para di magaya sa buhay ni liam.

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    4. Hippie mom is not liam's mom

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    5. 11.16 kung makapagreact ka wagas. Sabj nga ng commenter di yun consequence for liam's suicide but yung actions which were not according to school policy

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  30. May your soul rest in peace Liam.

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  31. Very sad tragedy. Pero my thoughts lang, with the pressure that these students face, I think it's critical na the school has elaborate support councils for their students. Dahil sa sobrang dami ng projects, rigorous essays and pressure of being accepted to the most prestigious schools in the world, dapat lang na merong supporting body ang school to buffer out yung stress ng students. Instead of being super strict ang mga teachers, I think they should be strict but also supportive. To be honest, I would never allow my children na sobrang ngud-ngod sa schoolwork. I'm blessed to go to a fantastic school (University of Toronto) and I know what stress feels like. It's not a great feeling but if you're surrounded by supportive people, you can thrive. Sayang lang na sa school nung bata na 'to, teachers add to the problem instead of being the helpers that they should be.

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  32. Miss Hippie Mom....can you put this on Facebook to the group where the teachers are bullies? This is really interesting and with the help of social media hopefully, the school will listen and talk about this incident. I only hope the best and to Liam, RIP....I have a smart kid and was bullied in school and yes, the teacher wasn't there anymore.

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  33. This is such an unfortunate event.. however, isa lang naman ang nangyari dito... a very successful student loved and admired by everyone... a student who's parents were so proud of.... decided to cheat for the first time and was caught. Di nakayanan na mapahiya plus the threat of not being able to graduate.... instead of facing the consequences, decides to go the easy way out... suicide.....

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  34. That's why kids today crack under the littlest pressure.. It's because of parents like hippie mom who baby their kids so much. I mean it was obvious that Liam cheated but she still chose to defend her kid's wrongdoing. Yes, the teacher went overboard but I find it off that instead of the mom admit his son had a mistake too she chose to use lame excuses to clear her sons name..

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  35. Ang hirap pala mag aral sa BSM, kaka stress, to the point na pwde ka magpakamatay.. Question lang, kung nasa college na si liam, studying abroad, honor student with scholarship, at may ma ecounter na stress related, with a prof. A difficult talaga, may chance parin kaya sya magpakamatay? Pki sagot lang po, thank you???

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  36. I agree with you....spread this to other social medial sites so that action would be influenced faster

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  37. The never ending story of that bully teacher! Dig more and you'll find horrible case in the past!

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  38. The never ending story of that bully teacher! Dig more and you'll find horrible case in the past!

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  39. sino ba pumatay sa kanya? sarili nya kagagawan nyan ngaun naghahanap kau ng sisisihin. ginusto nya yan

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  40. Stop the blame game. He chose to die.

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  41. The important word here is CHOICE. This kid choose to copy from others. This kid choose to die instead of facing the consequences.

    Good or bad, he is where he is now because he chose to be there.

    Now move along, folks!

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    Replies
    1. Are you sure it was his choice? As if he enjoyed having suicidal thoughts and finally doing it? Mental health is an issue here and sad to say so many people feel superior and indifferent towards this issue. Move on? It's not as simple as that. Try being with a mentally troubled person, you'll know.

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    2. he's 18 and with brains, mind you. don't jump on mental issues. he was not even diagnosed, its people who speculate. but he was just too guilty to face the truth, so yeah its his choice as anon 8:38 said

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    3. The teacher chose to resort to humiliate the student rather than follow school policy

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  42. Why is it that rich people blame others for their choices? Us poor people just deal with it.

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    Replies
    1. problems with spoiled kids -- when children have no limits and have always had whatever they want with no sense of worth, then everything becomes worthless and meaningless to them.

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  43. He was pushed too far. Shame

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  44. Just because he appears to be happy and normal, it does not mean he is ok. Being a teenager alone is already stressful, plus his academic pressure and his dad's sickness might have triggered it. They cannot blame the teacher alone. The bottomline is, he lacked support. He lacked support from his family and friends who could have carried some of his baggages for him. You see, we all go through challenges in life where in we get extremely humiliated, it might come from school, work, neighborhood etc. We just dont blame and pinpoint one person for it - because the reality is, we do not controll our environment - and one way or another, we all go through this phase. I have been dragged from my ears by one of our teachers all the way thru the hallway during a flag ceremony in high school, i was first year then, every one saw me including the seniors, just because i was laughing! I felt like melting right at that moment - and after that because i had to spend my whole day in the guidance office and write a letter to not do it again. Sure it has not cost me a scholarship but my point is, we all have this part in our life. We have friends to comfort us and whack the out of that teacher behind her back to make us feel better! Oh! I have another one, i have a physics prof in college who gave me a failing mark because he accused me of not submitting a paper! He announced it at the whole class btw. When I reacted, he got more mad and screamed the hell out of my face! Whats annoying is, my groupmates just copied from my paper and the prof lost mine! Yes, I got super depressed but my parents fought for me and told me that if in case he pushes some more and i could not handle it they will be the one confronting him! Got over it anyway.

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  45. Asan ang parents ni Liam? Sino support group niya? Waley.

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  46. Though I feel sorry for the family and friends of Liam, God rest his soul, still the fact remains that he committed the final act himself. The teacher in her "ways" may have unwittingly pushed him to do the deed but for sure, the act of suicide is not done hurriedly, it may have festered in him for so long with pressures coming from all sides of his world. Maybe he hid so well, friends and family missed this, we really don't know. We all have our share of "bad" teachers who we may perceive to be picking on us, but the bottom line is -a lot of us still do not buckle down and commit suicide. That act in itself requires deep thought, and yes, strength (wrongly placed though) to finally go through with it. Yes, I agree that he was good academically based on what the writer wrote but in the end, its not only that which we need but strength of character to face life's challenges, today or in the future, as well. Yes, in your grief you look for answers and maybe a person or situation to blame. Yes, you may want justice. Yes, you are right in demanding explanations on how he was treated on the final days of his life, but in the end, you will have to accept that he did cut short his life by his own hand.

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  47. HIPPIE MOM , I am sure you have access to the internet so you could easily look it up. BSM as you say is educating people about a study that says 90% of people that commit suicide are mentally ill. It is a fact unless you have research that actually contradicts it you are very much welcome to publish it. I am sorry to burst your bubble, but the world is not a SHANGRILA. It was not the poor boy's fault that he did not have the necessary coping mechanism to adapt to such stressors and having an underlying undiagnosed psychiatric issue did not help make things easier for him. Do you think it's high time to look into the bigger picture rather making baseless allegations or assumptions. Mental Illness ,acknowledging it and seeking psychiatric help is still taboo in the Philippine society. May the young man"s death help raise awareness of mental health and well being issues, help develop a hotline or crisis intervention teams and a reminder to families or parents that children are not an extension of your unfulfilled aspirations and the quest for perfection does not equate with happiness.

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  48. Lesson learned: kung gusto makamit ang pangarap gawin ito sa tamang paraan. Hwag mandaya. Be man enough to face the consequences of your actions. The teacher is just doing her job, that is to teach the values about honesty. The parents are still in denial. Stop the blame game. Ipagdasal nalangbkalukuwa ng bata. Kawawa sya nasa hell

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    1. i also commend the teacher for doing her job. i also hated most of my teachers when i was younger but i know better now.

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  49. Parents should really teach their kids how to cope-up with life's difficulties early on. After a child finishes his studies he will enter a more complex and stressful work/family life. In reality a straight A student with full scholarship in a top international university will not guarantee him a successful career nor life ahead...It is how he triumphs on every challenge he battles daily or simply accepts defeat at times that will make him successful and fullfiled. Parents who are too focused on the academic achievements of their child will only contribute to his psychological instability. Parents who raised well balanced happy children are really the commendable ones.

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    1. obviously someone who was so sheltered and has met his first ever failure in life

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  50. yes, the pressure was too much to handle...pressure from the teacher and malamang even his family. If how this teacher was described were true, mali naman talaga. But how I hope that he felt that no matter what happens, he has his family pa din to come home to. Yung bang confident na lang siya na kahit anong mangyari, ok lang kasi ok lang yan sa mom niya. Not to judge pero baka kasi he felt trapped and alone kaya yan na lang ang escape na naisipan nya.

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  51. Bottomline: the boy committed suicide. Its sad but Nobody is responsible and accountablr other than himself.

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    1. Had the teacher not done this, hindi mapupull yung trigger. Syempre we cannot say that the teacher is fully responsible. Pero di mo din pwedeng sabihin na wala syang kasalanan.

      Even before this happened, this teacher is known na for powertripping and screaming at students for no reason. It's sad na someone has to die before they realize na may kailangan silang baguhin. Ang problema, mukhang wala pa silang plano magbago

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    2. had the teacher not done this, he will still end up dead when faced with another failure *sad*

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  52. straight A student... edi wow
    IB students often sleep at 3 or 4:00 in the morning... even non-IB students do that
    these kids aim to go to top colleges abroad... edi wow
    he was aiming for UBC (University of British Columbia)... edi wow
    Tuition costing more than P3M a year .... edi wow

    teacher is known to abuse her power.... subjective

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  53. Try to watch the movie Whiplash and you'd know how it feels like to be a kid in this scenario. May His beautiful soul rest in peace!

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    1. you can never speculate how it feels like

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    2. naman tlaga hollywood and reference

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  54. Nothing can justify suicide. Na-bully man or no. Life is too precious. Everyone is fighting a hard battle, yet most still cling for dear life. Yes, may na-contribute sa pressure yung teacher, pero you will encounter people like that all your life. So if someone else succumbs to the same pressure, do we conclude that it will result to suicide. The answer is no and the ultimate responsibility of one's life lies in your own hands.

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    1. yes nothing can justify suicide but no one fully understands why some people resort to this. Suicide prevention among clinically depressed people is still a challenge in the medical profession. People often forget that depression is a complicated illness. It's not a matter of how high or low your EQ is, or how much you struggled in your life. Some people who suffer from it can't even manage to do a simple task like getting up from their beds because their brains can't do that. #daughter of a severely depressed mom

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  55. he's just a boy, straight A student man o hindi bata pa rin sya, bata lang yan, kaya sana wag natin isisi sa kanya ang lahat.

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    1. In denial kasi mga family ni liam. Di rin.nya kaya mag aral abroad. Di nya kaya ung pressure sa ubc. Mas grabe mga proff dun.... Mas bully sila. Nagpakamatay si liam kasi mahina ang character at walang faith.

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  56. No offense but either way, he committed suicide. The after life is what's important. He will never be with our Lord because in His book, what he did is wrong.

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