THE father of the 14-year-old boy who survived the massacre in Sagay City, Negros Occidental wants to have the custody of his son.
The father, whose name was withheld by the authorities, revealed to the members of the press on Saturday, October 27, that his estranged wife and son are allegedly being kept in an undisclosed place in the province against his will.
"Gusto ko tani na mabalik sa akon ang akon bata kay bisan ang dati ko na asawa naghambal man, na sa akon lang ang bata kag ang bata sugot man (I want my son back because even my estranged wife allowed me to take custody of our child. And our child also agreed to it)," he said.
Read Cops say minor-survivor under custody for security
On October 25, Karapatan-Negros secretary general Clarizza Singson confirmed to the media that the minor-survivor was already turned over that day by the CSWD to the mother through the assistance of the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers (NUPL).
However, the father alleged that Karapatan forcibly took the custody of his son and even prevented his son from communicating with his family.
He said the group allegedly used his wife by providing her transportation to come home so they can have the custody of their son.
"I don't know where they are. I am worried about their safety," he said.
He also denied reports that his son was threatened and intimidated by the police regarding his knowledge about the incident.
He said that he was present during the interview of his son and there was no intimidation or threat.
He said he even allowed his son to help the police in the investigation of the case by being one of the witnesses.
Since the minor-survivor is also one of the witnesses, the father sought the help of the authorities to locate his son and have his custody, Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, director of Police Regional Office (PRO)-Western Visayas, said in a press conference at Nocppo headquarters in Bacolod City on Saturday.
“What puzzles us are the human rights groups who, instead of joining the police in pursuing the victims, they hamper our investigation by taking away our witnesses and discouraging other family members from cooperating in the filing of the case,” the top official of PRO-Western Visayas said.
Their actions are contrary to what they claim. If they are true to their words that they want justice for the victims, they should help in the conduct of the investigation and let these witnesses speak, he added.