Alfred Vargas to bring son's bullying case before DOJ after motion for reconsideration denied
Alfred Vargas is considering elevating his son's bullying case to the Department of Justice after the Manila Prosecutor's Office denied his motion for reconsideration.
In a statement on July 12, the Quezon City councilor lamented the Office of the City Prosecutor's denial of his appeal after it junked the child abuse complaint against actor Rob Sy and Juvelle Bacosa, whose 8-year-old son allegedly bullied Vargas' son.
"Masakit dahil tila binalewala pa rin ang mga matitibay na ebidensyang inihain namin," Vargas stated, maintaining that their case "did not rely on mere speculation."
"We presented clear, categorical, and positive testimonies from multiple independent eyewitnesses who personally saw how our 7-year-old son was clearly bullied and abused."
Vargas added that his family submitted an official Psychiatric Evaluation Report from St. Luke's Medical Center, which indicated that his child was diagnosed with Adjustment Disorder.
He went on to slam the city prosecutor, as they "committed a grave error and injustice by applying the wrong framework to dismiss [their] complaint."
"Maling-mali na idahilan na dahil 'single incident' lang ito at walang napatunayang 'criminal intent' ang mga magulang ay idi-dismiss na ang kaso. Under RA 7610, child abuse covers psychological and emotional maltreatment 'whether habitual or not,'" the QC councilor noted.
"By demanding strict proof of the respondents' subjective intent to degrade our son, the resolution completely turned a blind eye to the parents' legal duty of supervision and their complacency in tolerating the harmful behavior of their child."
Vargas went on to say that his family will continue to seek justice following the incident.
"We will not back down. We will continue to fight for what is right and exhaust all available legal remedies, including elevating this matter to the Department of Justice," he said.
On the other side, following the denial of the motion for reconsideration, Sy continued to deny the bullying allegations against his 8-year-old son.
"Ang walang katapusan na mga paratang diumano'y 'nilunod nang paulit-ulit' ang kanilang anak, at ang akusaasyong 'binalewala, gina-gaslight,' o 'idine-dismiss' sila sa bawat pag [reach] out-kuno nila sa amin. Lahat pong ito ay kasinungalingan," Sy said in a July 10 statement.
Child abuse complaint
In mid-April, the Vargas couple filed a criminal complaint against Sy and Bacosa for violation of Section 10(a) of Republic Act No. 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.
According to the Vargases, Sy's minor child allegedly pushed their son underwater while both children were undergoing swimming training. The incident supposedly "occurred several times" despite the Vargases urging the alleged bully's parents to manage their child's behavior.
Sy has denied the bullying claims and said the Vargas couple was twisting the narrative, adding, "Wala man po kaming yaman at impluwensiya, hawak naman po namin ang integridad at katotohanan na hindi nabibili ng posisyon."
On May 28, the Office of the City Prosecutor of Manila dismissed the Vargases' complaint against Sy and his partner, saying the allegations placed against the defendants were "merely based on speculation."
"Allegation is not in itself evidence," the resolution read, adding that the Manila Prosecutor's Office did not find enough evidence to hold Sy and his partner criminally liable for child abuse.
