Angeles v.

Sison
112 S 26
February 16, 1982
Parties:
Jose S. Angeles & Gilberto G.
Mercado, in his capacity as Dean of
Institute
of
Technology,
FEU,
petitioners;
Hon. Rafael S. Sison, as Judge of
the CFI Manila,

Case of whether there is intrusion in

administrative investigation.
Facts:
Petitioner Angeles was mauled by two of his students in
FEU outside of the school campus, specifically in Oak
Barrel Restaurant, & beyond school hours (as it was on
the occasion of the birthday party of the then Secretary
of the Institute of Technology of FEU) prompting his filing
of criminal complaint for assault as well as an
administrative case for alleged breach of the universitys
rules & regulations.
The criminal complaint was later dismissed on the basis
of an affidavit of desistance submitted by the petitioner
himself, stating among others, that the subject incident
was only a result of a misunderstanding & nobody is to
be blamed.

 The administrative complaint filed before the

Dean, however, was acted on by the creation
of a committee to conduct administrative
investigation, headed by the Dean himself.
Over the opposition of the offending parties,
the respondent Judge issued an order
denying their motion against the conduct of
administrative investigation, hence this
appeal before the Court.
Issue:
Whether or not a school through its duly
authorized
representative
has
the
jurisdiction to investigate its student or
students
for
an
alleged
misconduct
committed outside the school premises &
beyond school hours.

Ruling: YES,
a

school through its duly authorized

representative has the jurisdiction to
investigate its student or students for an
alleged misconduct committed outside the
school premises & beyond school hours.
There is no intrusion when a school
investigates its student.
Investigation
may cover an alleged offense committed
outside school premises. Thus, the Court
rejected the argument of two students
that
an
administrative
investigation
concerning an alleged offense outside the
school violated their right to privacy.

A college, or any school for that matter, has a dual

responsibility to its students. One is to provide
opportunities for learning & the other is to help
them grow & develop into mature, responsible,
effective & worthy citizens of the community.
Discipline is one of the means to carry out the
second responsibility.
Thus, there can be no doubt that the establishment of
an educational institution requires rules &
regulations necessary for the maintenance of an
orderly educational program & the creation of an
educational environment conducive to learning.
Such rules & regulations are equally necessary for
the protection of the students, faculty, & property.
The power of school officials to investigate, an
adjunct of its power to suspend or expel, is a
necessary corollary to the enforcement of such rules
& regulations & the maintenance of a safe & orderly
educational environment conducive to learning.

The respondent judge correctly stated that

the general rule is that the authority of the
school is co-extensive with its territorial
jurisdiction, or its school grounds, so that
any action taken for acts committed
outside the school premises should, in
general, be left to the police authorities,
the courts of justice, and the family
concerned.
However, this rule is not rigid or one without
exceptions. It is the better view that there
are instances when the school might
be called upon to exercise its power
over its students for acts committed
outside the school & beyond school
hours in the following:

a) In cases of violations of school policies or

regulations occurring in connection with a
school-sponsored activity off-campus, or
b) In cases where the misconduct of the student
involves his status as a student or affects the
good name or reputation of the school.
Common sense dictates that the school retains
its power to compel its students in or offcampus to a norm of conduct compatible with
their standing as members of the academic
community. Hence, when as in the case at
bar, the misconduct complained of directly
affects the suitability of the alleged violators
as students, there is no reason why the
school can not impose the same disciplinary
action as when the act took place inside the
campus.