Alfred Vargas' wife files 20 counts of cyber libel for misleading social media posts

Yasmine Vargas, wife of Quezon City Councilor Alfred Vargas, filed 20 counts of cyber libel against the individuals behind social media attacks on herself and her family.

In a statement on Facebook, Yasmine expressed her dismay about having to resort to legal means for the sake of her family. 

"Bilang isang ina, hindi ko po kayang manahimik habang patuloy na nasasaktan ang aking anak at pamilya," she wrote.

"Kaya pinili naming magsalita—hindi dahil gusto naming makipagtalo, kundi dahil mahal namin ang aming mga anak. Para sa kanila, at para sa lahat ng batang nakakaranas ng bullying, naninindigan kami," Yasmine added. 

Although she did not specify any names in her statement, it appears the filing is the latest addition to the Vargas family's recent legal actions stemming from a bullying incident where their son was allegedly held underwater by another minor during the children's swimming training session. 

On April 13, the Vargas couple 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.

In pushing through with her filing yesterday, Yasmine wrote, "silence is no longer an option," in her statement. 

"We tried to handle this quietly and peacefully—para sa kapakanan ng aming mga anak, na dumaan na sa matinding sakit at trauma," Yasmine added. 

According to her, she and her husband tried to resolve the issue with the alleged bully's parents quietly in February.

"Ngunit sa halip, nagpatuloy ang mga posts sa social media na naglalaman ng maling paratang laban sa akin, sa aking asawa, at sa aming pamilya—even after we chose to remain silent," Yasmine wrote.

"Hindi na po ito maaaaring magpatuloy. These claims are false and are meant to damage our name and reputation," she added. 

According to the Vargas couple, the bullying incident was not an isolated case. It supposedly occurred several times.

"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. 

"Every time we go to the parents to try to resolve these issues, we were either dismissed or gaslighted," he added. 

The bullying apparently escalated in February during a swimming competition at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex where the Vargas' son and his alleged bully were participating. According to Alfred, he and several others witnessed the alleged bully "pushing [Alfred's] child at the side area of the pool during warm-up period, almost injuring his son right before the competition."

On April 15, actor Rob Sy posted a statement on Facebook, where he identified himself as the father of the alleged bully. He denied the allegations. 

"Sobrang sakit bilang magulang na maakusahan ang aking eight-year-old na anak lalo na't hindi totoo at malinaw na binaliktad ang naratibo. Tama na! Sobra na! Labis na ang paninira," Sy wrote.

In her Facebook statement, Yasmine said she and her husband were seeking to resolve the issue through the proper channels. 

"Pinili naming dumaan sa tamang proseso. Nagsampa na po kami ng reklamo at kalakip nito ang aming ebidensya. Tiwala po kami na lalabas ang katotohanan," she wrote.

Concluding her statement, Yasmine called for kindness. 

"Huwag na po nating dagdagan ang sakit sa pamamagitan ng paninira, haka-haka, o masasakit na salita—lalo na online," she said.