SC Orders USEP to Pay P6.45 million Over Student’s Death in Campus Pageant Fire

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (May 18)— After almost two decades after a university beauty pageant ended in tragedy, the Supreme Court has ordered the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP) and several school officials to pay P6.45 million in damages to the parents of student Cheryl Sarate, whose costume caught fire during a campus pageant in 2006.

In a 46-page decision penned by Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, the High Court ruled that USEP failed to exercise the level of diligence required of an educational institution responsible for ensuring student safety. The Court found that the university lacked proper supervision, emergency preparedness, trained personnel, and effective safety response measures during the event.

The case stemmed from a campus pageant held on July 20, 2006, inside the university’s social hall. Court records showed organizers lined the stage ramp with small lit candles placed inside brown paper bags to create a dramatic candlelight effect while some lights inside the venue were intentionally dimmed.

Sarate, one of the candidates, walked the runway wearing a “snow fairy” costume made of highly flammable materials, including cotton balls, plastic cellophane, feathers, and wire. Moments later, the costume caught fire, sending panic across the venue as students rushed to extinguish the flames.

Reports later showed that an ambulance arrived approximately 30 minutes after the incident. Sarate eventually died from cardiac arrest secondary to septic shock caused by flame burns covering nearly 80 percent of her body.

The Supreme Court rejected the university’s argument that the pageant was merely a private or unauthorized activity, noting that the event was organized by a recognized campus organization under the supervision of a faculty adviser employed by the university. The ruling stressed that educational institutions cannot evade responsibility for student activities conducted within their premises and under school supervision.

The Court ordered the payment of P300,000 in civil indemnity, P5 million in moral damages, P1 million in exemplary damages, and P150,000 in attorney’s fees to Sarate’s parents.

In a striking passage, the High Court emphasized the immeasurable loss suffered by the victim’s family, stating: “Life is precious; no amount of damages can ever hope to replace it.”

The ruling closes one of Davao City’s most haunting campus tragedies — a case remembered not only for the horrific fire that claimed a young student’s life, but also for the nearly 20 years her family waited for justice.-Editha Z Caduaya