State university says it respects Supreme Court decision on student’s death
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 18 May 2026) – The state-run University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) said it respects the Supreme Court En Banc’s decision, which found the school “grossly negligent” in the death of one of its students during a fire incident 20 years ago, and assured the public that its officials will act appropriately in response to the Court’s judgment.
In a statement released on Monday, the university vowed to uphold accountability, institutional responsibility, and the welfare of the academic community.
“The University assures the public that the Decision will be appropriately discussed and addressed by the University’s governing authorities, including the Board of Regents, in coordination with the Office of the Solicitor General and the concerned offices of the University,” it said.
It said the Office of the Solicitor General, the legal defender of government agencies and instrumentalities, including state universities and colleges, has received the Court’s decision and is currently reviewing it.
“USeP respectfully requests the public’s patience and understanding while the necessary discussions and internal processes are being undertaken,” it added.
In a 46-page decision promulgated on November 25, 2025, and uploaded to the Court’s website on May 14, 2026, the Court ordered USeP to pay P6,450,000 in indemnity to Antonio and Rosita Sarate, the parents of Cheryl, a freshman English major who died after her gown caught fire during a beauty pageant inside the university’s social hall.
Of this amount, the Court awarded P300,000 in civil indemnity, P5,000,000 in moral damages, P1,000,000 in exemplary damages, and P150,000 in attorney’s fees.
The decision also declared co-petitioners, former school President Dr. Romulo Dequito, and other school officials, Dr. Marie Rose Escalada, Dr. Gilbert Gordo, Professor Catherine Roble, Emma Gobantes, and Rodulfo Sumugat, as solidarily liable with the university to pay damages.
“Here, it is established that each of the petitioners was grossly negligent,” it said.
The Court said Roble “failed to supervise the Guild members despite being its duly appointed adviser; Gobantes, as officer-in-charge of the safety and security of the social hall, “failed to oversee and provide even the slightest safety measure during the event”; Dequito, as director of Student Services and chief of Security Services of the University, “failed to oversee and monitor the student activity in the campus.”
It added that Gordo, as director of the Corporate Enterprise Development Office, “leased the social hall premises to the Guild members without implementing the necessary safety measures,” while Sumugat, as vice president for Administration and officer-in-charge of the University, “ardently failed to supervise his subordinates in the performance of their official duties.”
The Court noted that these acts “point to nothing short of the University’s negligence, which ultimately led to Chery’s death.”
“These petitioners are not ordinary tortfeasors. They are teachers, officers, and directors of a school which, by law, has special parental authority and responsibility over minors under its supervision, instruction, or custody. At the very least, petitioners should have conducted their school activities in a safe and careful manner because respondents, as parents, expected them to keep Cheryl, their minor child, well and safe. Petitioners miserably failed to do both,” it said.
Cheryl, 16, of Calinan district, was a first-year Bachelor of Arts student majoring in English who joined the search for the Lady and Lord of Utopia, an annual beauty pageant organized by the Guild of English Students, on July 20, 2006.
The victim suffered severe burns and died three days later of “cardiac arrest due to septic shock, the antecedent cause is secondary to flame burn 80% total body surface area, involving face, neck, anterior chest, back, both upper and lower extremities.”
“The organizers installed a T-shaped ramp lined with 12 small, lit candles in brown paper bags filled with damp soil. Each paper bag was tied with crepe paper, and the opening of the bags were structured like crowns to resemble a lantern. Some of the social hall’s lights were switched off to highlight the candlelight,” the Court said.
When it was the victim’s turn to walk, her gown made of highly flammable materials was immediately engulfed in flames.
Her gown was made of cotton balls glued to plastic cellophane, typically used to cover books; the lower skirt was on a tie-wire to create a petticoat design; its hem was covered with small feathers; and her tube blouse was covered with rolled cotton flattened to her chest.
“Cheryl was standing on the leftmost side of the T-shaped ramp when her gown caught fire as she turned to pose. When she turned right to walk to the center ramp, she used her bare hands to ward off the small flames that started to engulf her,” the Court said.
It added that “the flames blazed, causing Cheryl to jump over the right side of the hall where the audience sat.”
“She tripped as she screamed for help. Some students tried to help, and the fires were eventually put out. After the fire, Cheryl was seen topless, wearing only denim short pants. People tried to hug and console her. The ambulance arrived 30 minutes later and brought Cheryl to the hospital,” it said.
According to the Court, the pageant resumed immediately after the victim was brought to the hospital.
It said no faculty member was present to supervise the pageant, except for those who participated as judges.
“Students said they had not seen fire extinguishers in the venue, although the University maintained that there were two inside the social hall,” it said. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
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