Alfred Vargas and his wife, Yasmine, are taking legal action against bullying involving their child.
Quezon City Councilor Alfred Vargas and his wife, Yasmin, filed a complaint against the parents of a minor who is bullying their child.
Bullying is a harmful behavior where someone repeatedly hurts, humiliates, or excludes another person. This could be in the form of physical, verbal, social, or online. A simple joke ends when someone is being made to feel unsafe, powerless, or unwanted. It can deeply affect a person’s confidence, mental health, and sense of belonging.
Recently, in a statement, Quezon City Councilor Alfred Vargas and his wife, Yasmine, filed legal charges against the parents of a minor accused of bullying their son by allegedly attempting to drown him during swimming sessions.
They have filed a criminal complaint against the bully’s parents, suing them for violation of Section 10(a) of Republic Act No. 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act.
There was a pattern of behavior in which the victim was allegedly pushed and held underwater during swimming training sessions. The incidents reportedly happened multiple times, indicating a repeated course of conduct, even though the parents of the alleged bully had already been instructed to tell their child to stop and to correct their behavior.
“Mayroon pa ngang ginawa yung bully na hindi talaga appropriate at sobrang sakit sa kalooban namin. Kinadyot niya ‘yung anak ko sa malaswang paraan at nung nakita ng misis ko at sinabi sa nanay, tinawanan pa ng nanay at sinabi, ‘He’s just dancing!'” Alfred said, and added, “Every time we go to the parents to try to resolve these issues, we were either dismissed or gaslighted.”
The situation allegedly escalated during a swimming competition at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex last February. Alfred and several others reportedly witnessed the minor pushing his son in the side area of the pool during the warm-up period, almost causing injury right before the competition.
It was also alleged that two of the minor’s companions laughed at Alfred’s son during the incident. When he raised his concern, the mother of the alleged bully just dismissed him.
As a father, this incident is painful to him, and if there’s something he regrets, it would have to be not doing it sooner. He continued, “Ilan lang ang mga ito sa marami pang ginawa sa anak ko. Hindi ito simpleng ‘away ng bata.’ Hindi ito bagay na dapat palampasin.”
What can you say about this? Let us know in the comments!
To Mr.& Mrs. Vargas. I am sorry for what had happened to your son. My heart goes to you. I think you did the right thing. Those incidents are not acceptable. The parents of the minor bully child should be held responsible for what her son has committed since her son still minor, the parents should be punished for her child’s crime. It happened many times, that’s not normal anymore. Go for it, Mr,Vargas, no tolerance for bullying especially in the school. Hope you get the justice you deserve. God bless you, Mr.& Mrs Vargas.