Rob Sy denies bullying claims against his son, says Alfred Vargas and wife ‘twisted the narrative’
Actor Rob Sy has denied the allegations of bullying leveled against his eight-year-old son, pushing back against the complaint recently filed by Quezon City Councilor Alfred Vargas and his wife Yasmine.
In a statement on his Facebook page, Rob identified himself as the father of the minor who allegedly bullied the Vargas couple's son by means of drowning him during swimming sessions.
"Tahimik lang po akong tao, ayaw ng kaaway, ayaw ng gulo. Kahit pa madalas na naaabuso, umiiwas pa rin sa negatibo, dahil laging pinapa-iral ang kapayapaan at respeto," the actor and comedian began. "Pero sa patuloy na pang-aagrabyado sa aking pamilya, lalo na sa aking anak, panahon na para basagin ang katahimikan."
"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," he continued.
Appealing to their family and friends for prayers and understanding, Rob stressed that he and his wife Juvelle Bacosa would face the complaint filed before the Manila City Prosecutor’s Office with courage.
"Ipaglalaban po namin ang katotohanan. Wala man po kaming yaman at impluwensya, hawak naman po namin ang integridad at katotohanan na hindi nabibili ng posisyon," he ended.
Upon visiting Juvelle's Facebook page, it appeared that the family had previously alluded to a troubling incident tied to the same issue months before Vargases' complaint became public.
"Last February 14, 2026, sa mismong araw ng swimming competition ng anak ko sa Rizal Memorial Stadium, na-harass kaming mag-ina ng isang indibidwal. Kahit babae ako at eight years old lang ang anak ko, pinagdududuro niya at pinapahiya sa harap ng maraming tao. Nanginginig at umiiyak ang anak ko sa takot," she wrote.
"Kahit gano kasakit at traumatic, kinausap at pinakalma ako ni Rob pagkadating niya, kaya nanatili kaming tikom at pinagpasa-Diyos na lang namin ang nangyari," she continued. "Pero hiling lang ng pamilya namin, na sana naman huwag na ito maulit sa loob ng eskwelahan ng anak ko, dahil may nakarating sa aking balita ng pagbabanta sa anak ko."
While Juvelle did not name the individual in her post, one social media user alluded to "an adult in a position of authority" in the comments section.
The Vargases filed the complaint against the alleged bully's parents on April 13, suing them for their negligence that enabled acts prejudicial to their child’s welfare. This constitutes child abuse under Section 10(a) of Republic Act No. 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.
The lawsuit stems from a pattern of conduct where the respondents’ minor child allegedly pushed and held the Vargases’ son underwater during swimming training sessions.
The couple claimed that this incident "occurred several times" despite urging the bully's parents to tell their child to stop and to manage their conduct.
Alfred claimed that the mother of the bully had dismissed the incident when he raised his concerns.
"Bilang ama, may isang bagay na hindi mo kayang tiisin: ang makita ang anak mo na inaapi. The only regret we have is we didn’t do it sooner," the former actor said.
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."
Alfred has yet to respond to Rob's statement as of writing.
