A video captured a mother physically assaulting her 8-year-old child after the child failed to return home for an entire day in Rodriguez, Rizal.
In a report by EJ Gomez on Balitanghali this Thursday, the footage shows the child desperately pleading and struggling to escape the mother’s grasp.
"Ma, I’m embarrassed! There are people here. Ma, please stop! Ma, I don’t want this anymore!" the child cried.
Moments later, the mother was seen punching the child.
"Do you want me to choke you?" she threatened.
"No! Please stop!" the child begged.
The child continued to struggle until their grandmother arrived.
The mother and grandmother then forcibly carried the child home, continuing the assault.
The video also captured the grandmother hitting the child three times with a slipper. At one point, she attempted to drag the child, who resisted.
The footage, which lasted over seven minutes, ended with the child still screaming as they were taken inside the house.
Concerned residents reported the incident to the barangay, which then alerted the police.
Investigation and Mother’s Defense
According to the investigation, the child had been sent to buy cigarettes but instead used the money to purchase a toy. The parents found the child around 5 PM.
The mother claimed that when she saw her child, instead of coming to her, the child ran away.
Being three months pregnant, she defended her actions, saying she acted out of exhaustion and frustration after searching all day.
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I felt weak and pale—I just couldn’t take it anymore," she explained.
She later allowed her child to be interviewed by the media.
The child admitted being afraid to go home, saying, "I kept crying and crying. I was scared to go home because I knew I would get scolded."
Neighbor’s Testimony
According to Police Lt. Col. Paul Macasa Sabulao, chief of Rodriguez Police, a neighbor reported that the mother frequently abused the child when angry, which led them to record the incident.
"I felt sorry for the child because the mother always does this. I posted the video so the mother would finally learn her lesson," said witness and video uploader Remedios Ortanez.
However, the mother insisted this was the first time such an incident had happened.
"If I had really beaten my child badly, it would be obvious on their body.
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Ortanez refuted this, saying, "It’s not true that this was the first time—it has happened many times. We often hear the child screaming, and we’ve seen them with bruises and scratches on their face."
Legal Action
The mother and grandmother are now in police custody at the Rodriguez Municipal Police Station.
Meanwhile, the child has been turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and the mother will face charges for violating Republic Act 7610 (Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act) and physical abuse.
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