Back in Lolo's arms

THE two minors from Mipangi, Nabunturan, Davao de Oro, who were subject in a Facebook post of Mawab Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO-Mawab), were already safely returned to their grandfather, the minors' initial custodian.

In a phone interview on August 21, 2020, Cora Castardo of the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office in Nabunturan (MSWDO-Nabunturan) said the kids, aged 11 and nine, were in the process of being turned over to their other relative from their father's side, who is working at the Nabunturan local government unit, when the minors' lolo called and told them he will take his grandchildren back.

'Biking away' from home

In the Facebook post of MDRRMO-Mawab, the two children were spotted by Mawab Municipal Mayor Ruperto Gonzaga III along the national highway in Tagmanok, Tuboran in Mawab while they were "biking" away from their relatives' home in Nabunturan going to Panabo City, to their grandfather's home.

According to Google Maps, the distance between Nabunturan and Mawab, Davao de Oro is around 20 kilometers.

"Ako sila'ng gipara kay concerned ko kay gagmay man gud, bawal man gud na sa Covid, unya curious lang ko kay kargado kaayo sila unya mura ba'g something nga naa gyu'y problema (I stopped at them because I was worried that there are these two little kids who were staying outside when it's not advisable because there is still the Covid-19 and besides I was curious since they were all packed up that I sensed they have some problems)," Gonzaga said in a phone interview with SunStar Davao.

He added that he also found out the bicycle they were riding did not have functional brakes, which makes them even more vulnerable to accidents.

Gonzaga said after letting the minors eat at the nearby eatery, he turned them over to the municipality's SWDO to locate their guardians and for their proper disposition.

In an initial interview conducted by the MDRRMO-Mawab, the two kids said they were abandoned by their own parents at their relatives who allegedly maltreated them, the reason they wanted to seek refuge at their grandfather's home in Panabo City, Davao del Norte.

However, in a phone interview with Ever Lucas of MSWDO-Mawab, during their initial intervention and counseling with the kids, they found out that the kids were not totally maltreated but admitted that they were scolded oftentimes by their aunt like most mothers do. But the kids, who were initially taken care of by their grandfather, might have construed it as maltreatment since their grandfather never scolds them.

"Pagdako-dako na sa mga bata ingon daw ang mama nga didto nalang daw sila papuy-on sa ilang gipuy-an ron kay spoiled daw sila sa ilang lolo, dili daw makadisiplina sa ila (When the children grew, their mother said they had to live with their relatives, whom they were staying with before they ran away, since they grew up spoiled at their grandfather's; their grandfather could not discipline them)," Lucas said.

She added, in fact, their aunt has already scheduled the kids for circumcision and that the kids were already enrolled in one of the schools in Nabunturan.

'Seek assistance when needed'

Meanwhile, Castardo advised parents or guardians to seek professional help when dealing with problems with minors as they are vulnerable and oftentimes do not understand what was being done to and for them to prevent the same incident from happening.

"Kung pananglit magkaproblema gyud ang mga bata makipag-alayon lang sila sa MSWD kay ang mga bata dili pa gyud na sila makasabot, kay ang ilaha lang ilang needs ilang priority, so better makig-alayon dayon sa MSWD aron matan-awan kung unsa ang best welfare nga makaayo sa bata, dili nato i-tolerate nga ang mga bata na nuon mag-command sa adult, kung dili aron masabtan kung asa dapit mubatog ang adult sa life sa bata aron dili magkakonplikto, dili mag-crisis ang bata (If ever you encounter problems with minors, better consult your respective Social Welfare and Development Office (SWDO) since kids do not understand, since they only prioritize their needs. So better consult your SWDO to identify what intervention is best for the welfare of the child. It doesn't mean we tolerate the kids and make the adults under their command but to understand when the adults should intervene in the life of the children to prevent the conflict and not to put the children in crisis)," Castardo said.

Post taken down

Meanwhile, the MDRRMO-Mawab post, although has been re-shared by many other netizens and even media organizations, was immediately taken down when the MSWDO-Mawab saw that the kids were named and their faces shown.

Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, "requires 'strict confidentiality' on the identity of child abuse victims and to all records pertaining to the case."

Lucas said they immediately called the MDRRMO-Mawab to edit, if not delete, its post.

As of press time, the media organizations who re-shared the post have edited it, blurring the children's faces and un-naming them.