Alfred Vargas and wife sue parents of son's alleged bully: 'Sobrang sakit sa kalooban namin'
Quezon City Councilor Alfred Vargas and his wife Yasmine are taking legal action against the parents of a minor who was allegedly bullying their son by means of drowning him during swimming sessions.
In a statement on his social media pages, the couple said 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.
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.
"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 matter supposedly escalated during a swimming competition at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex last February, where Alfred and several other people reportedly witnessed the minor "pushing his child at the side area of the pool during warm-up period, almost injuring his son right before the competition."
The bully's two other friends allegedly laughed at Alfred's son.
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."
Specifically, the Vargases are taking legal action against the parents for their negligence that enabled acts prejudicial to the Vargas child’s welfare, which constitutes child abuse under Section 10(a) of RA 7610.
"The law penalizes acts that cause psychological or emotional suffering, even in the absence of physical injury, as supported by established jurisprudence," the statement read.
Alfred underscored how bullying is "not normal."
"It is not harmless. It is not acceptable. Maaari sanang maiwasan ang insidente na ito kung hindi napabayaan ang bata ng magulang. Kaya ngayon, pinili naming lumaban. Hindi para maghiganti kundi para manindigan para sa anak ko at para sa lahat ng batang natatakot magsalita," he stressed.
"Kung ikaw ay naging biktima ng bullying, o magulang na dumaan dito, alam kong hindi ito madali. Pero hindi tayo pwedeng manatiling tahimik. This is where it stops," he added.
Alfred shares four children with Yasmine, whom he married in 2010.
