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Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Case of Fil-Canadian boy in ‘spoon, fork’ controversy goes on

ROUCHELLE DINGLASAN
GMA News

Six years ago, a Filipino-Canadian boy made headlines after school officials said he “ate like a pig” for using a spoon and fork as he had his lunch.

According to the news site The Filipino Reporter, the case of Luc Cagadoc, now 13 years old, has reached the Quebec Court of Appeal.

Born in the Philippines but raised in Canada, Cagadoc was reprimanded by Marguerite-Bourgeoys School officials in 2006 for eating in the customary Filipino manner — with a spoon and fork — during lunch break.

“The school board and the school, Lalande School in Roxboro, backed up the lunch monitor, with school officials and teachers saying the boy ate like a pig and should learn to eat like other Canadians,” The Filipino Reporter said.

In 2010, Cagadoc and his family won the case they filed before the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal.

“The tribunal in April 2010 ordered the Marguerite-Bourgeoys School Board to pay Cagadoc’s family $17,000, ruling school officials mishandled the case,” The Filipino Reporter said.

In February this year, the school appealed the case, saying that the Quebec tribunal had no jurisdiction over the incident.

However, the legal counsel of Cagadoc thinks otherwise.

The case is under deliberation.

Cagadoc’s reservations

The boy’s mother, Maria-Theresa Gallardo, told the Filipino Reporter that her son still eats with a spoon and a fork “but with some reservations.”

Her son “can’t shake off the incident,” she said.

“At home, he still wants to make sure he’s doing the right thing… We’ve been travelling around. I’ve been showing him different ways of eating, and saying there’s nothing wrong with what he’s doing,” Gallardo was quoted as saying.

Gallardo said her son asks her: “Mommy, when is this going to be over?”

She thinks “it’s going to last him a lifetime to remember what happened in that experience that he had.” — VVP, GMA News

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