Name: Gracely M.

De Juan

Section: BSLM 1B

Dilemma/ Situation:

9. Over the intercom at your middle school, the dean announces that a teacher's laptop has been stolen
from her classroom. If it is not turned in by the afternoon, a locker search will take place. You remember
that when you came to school this morning, you noticed that the kid whose locker is next to yours was
stuffing what looked like a laptop in his backpack. Do you go down to the office and share what you know
with the dean? Do you find the kid and ask if he took it? Maybe he'll give you some money (which you
really could use) to have you keep quiet. How should you proceed?

Answer:

HOW TO SOLVE AN ETHICAL DILEMMA?

✓ Identify the problem:

The School Dean has informed about a laptop having been stolen. I saw a laptop being stuffed inside the
bag of a student whose locker is next to mine. The dilemma is that it could be the stolen laptop, or it could
belong to the kid.

✓ Gather the facts:

There are facts to consider; that one laptop model has a similar copy of product of many.
Students are not the only suspect in this case, school personnels can are also considered
suspects. Besides it’s against the privacy of the kids if they are going to search for everyone’s

locker without warrant of search, unless there is consent from adults not kids.

✓ Rank moral considerations:

o I can only choose between telling the dean that I might see the missing laptop.

o I might talk to the kid and ask if that laptop is his/her property.
o And lastly, the kid knows that the teacher's laptop is missing, and he/she might found
it and might return it to the owner.
 ✓ Consequences:

If I tell the dean without hesitations, it might cause chaos to the school. Other kids might bully
the other kid because of accusing him from stealing.

✓ Final judgement:

Under Article III, Sec. 14 of Constitutional Law of the Philippines (1) No person shall be held
to answer for a criminal offense without due process of law. (2) In all criminal prosecutions,
the accused shall be presumed innocent until the contrary is proved, and shall enjoy the right
to be heard by himself and counsel, to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation

against him, to have a speedy, impartial, and public trial, to meet the witnesses face to face...
Therefore, that kid is innocent until contrary is proved, I’ll talk to the kid and ask directly if
that laptop is her/ his property. Gestures, voice, facial reaction and eye contact sometimes

tells if someone is lying. Most importantly, communication seeks to find truth.