MANILA - Krisel Mallari, the student who was stopped by school officials in the midst of her High School salutatory address, has urged the Court of Appeals (CA) to order her school to issue a Certificate of Good Moral Character as part of requirements for her college education.

In an Extremely Urgent Petition for Certiorari and Mandamus with Prayer for Temporary Restraining Order/Writ of Preliminary Injunction and Motion to Submit Case for Oral Argument, Mallari, through her father, Ernesto Mallari and the Public Attorney's Office (PAO), said the said certificate is a requirement imposed by the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) for admission.

Mallari has qualified in the university's accountancy program.

The Santo Niño Parochial School and its registrar, Yolanda Casero, have refused to issue the said certificate, according to Mallari.

UST has given Mallari up to July 15 to submit the certificate.



Impleaded in the petition are the Regional Trial Court, Quezon City, Branch 216.

"[W]ithout a certificate of good moral character from my high school, I cannot enroll. Hence, private respondents' continued unjustified refusal to issue the said certificate would result to the denial of my application for admission in UST and forfeiture of my reserved slot in its accountancy program.

"It will put my education to a halt and my future in jeopardy," the petition read.

Officials of Sto. Nino Parochial School (SNPS) earlier said Mallari was not permitted to finish her graduation speech because it was not the "welcome remarks" originally submitted to them.

It added that Mallari's speech cannot be categorized as a "welcome speech" and may damage the reputation of the batch valedictorian.

Mallari later read her full speech in an episode of The Bottomline with Boy Abunda.

Mallari filed a Complaint for Injunction with Damages (with Prayer for the Issuance of a Writ of Preliminary Mandatory Injunction/Temporary Restraining Order) before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC), which was eventually raffled off to Branch 216.

The RTC denied Mallari's plea in an order issued last May 27; pointing out that the Department of Education already issued a favorable ruling on the matter, and stressing that the school may not be compelled to issue the same certification.

In her petition with the CA, Mallari said the trial court's order was tainted with grave abuse of discretion.

"[T]he RTC practically disposed of the merits of the application for injunctive relief and worse, of the case.

"It bears stressing that when the hearing on Krisel's application was discontinued, presentation of her evidence was not yet concluded; and [Santo Niño Parochial School] and Mrs. Casero have yet to present their evidence," the petition read.

Mallari also stressed that despite her actuations during the graduation ceremony, she remains to be of good moral character and the school has "failed to prove otherwise."

Mallari has questioned her salutatorian ranking with the school, insisting that she deserved to graduate at the top of her class.

"This is tyrannical, to say the least. The school officials and administrators, who indeed exercise parental authority over Krisel in school, should be open-minded enough to accept challenges against its decisions. Krisel is just a minor; and the school officials should serve as her role models. It is truly destructive to our society for schools to inculcate in their students that they must do nothing but silently and timidly accept whatever decision the school makes or policy it has - irrespective of whether it is right or wrong," the petition read.