By CESAR JOLITO III
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has ordered a review of how higher education institutions monitor student internship and fieldwork programs following the death of a Negros Oriental State University (NORSU) student in a deadly road crash in Bayawan City.
CHED’s Negros Island Region (NIR) office said it will reassess compliance monitoring procedures to ensure that existing safety guidelines for on-the-job training (OJT) are strictly followed by schools and partner agencies.
The move comes after Warren Arseñas, a fourth-year Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology (Agricultural Technology) student, was among nine people killed when a mini dump truck plunged into a ravine on February 4.
CHED-NIR Regional Director Raul Alvarez, Jr. confirmed that Arseñas was completing his OJT at the Bayawan City Agricultural Engineering Unit at the time of the incident.
He said current CHED policies already distinguish between office-based internships and hands-on technical training, but the tragedy underscores the need to verify how those rules are enforced in actual field settings.
“Internship programs are covered by clear guidelines and require proper documentation and supervision,” Alvarez said.
“However, this incident compels us to take a closer look at how these procedures are implemented on the ground,” he added.
According to CHED, initial findings indicate that the student was involved in activities outside the scope of his approved training plan.
Alvarez stressed that interns must only perform tasks explicitly stated in their learning objectives and authorized by their institutions and host agencies.
The crash occurred in Barangay Kalamtukan when the truck, carrying Arseñas and eight City Agriculture Office workers, reportedly suffered a mechanical failure while descending a downhill road after delivering fuel to farm equipment.
Police are continuing their investigation into the incident.
NORSU said the OJT arrangement was covered by a memorandum of agreement with the Bayawan City local government and that the university had conducted pre-deployment orientations for students and their parents.
The school has since extended assistance to the bereaved family and is coordinating with authorities as the probe continues.
In response, CHED-NIR will issue advisories to all higher education institutions, reiterating safety protocols for off-campus training and warning against assigning students to duties beyond approved academic requirements.
The agency said it aims to prevent similar incidents and ensure that student welfare remains paramount during internship programs./CJ, WDJ