Parents of the Ateneo bullying incident victim finally break their silence regarding the issue involving their son.
The said bullying incident in one of the most prestigious schools in the Philippines went viral on social media.
In the video, the identified bully Joaquin Montes, was seen bullying his fellow students.
Ordinary netizens and celebrities, such as Lea Salonga, Regine Velasquez, and Xian Lim, scrutinized the inhumane act.
A previous report said that the victim was required to undergo surgery after the bullying incident.
Amid the issue, the parents of the victim finally speak about what happened to their son.
Based on the report from GMA News, the victim’s parents said that their son showed strong moral foundation.
It is because in the video, Montes let the victim chose “bugbog” or “dignidad”. The victim chose to preserve his dignity even though he will be physically hurt.
When a victim will chose dignity, the bully will force the victim to
kneel and kiss his shoes and private parts.
“Thus, our son chose his true sense of dignity – choosing instead to be subjected to physical assault rather than surrender his self-respect. And that is what we are fighting for. Our dignity,” the parents of the victim said.
They added that their son did not do anything to receive a treatment like that from his classmates.
“But, despite what happened, we will not let this incident damage our son – he will heal from this, and we will ensure that he will grow up with his morality and values intact,” the parents also said.
They also encouraged other victims of bullying and parents to be brave in standing up for their dignity.