THE 12-year-old boy, who was shown in a viral video being submerged in floodwater by his 60-year-old grandmother, has remained under temporary protective custody and is still attending school.
This was revealed by Buena Fe Remocaldo, head of the Operations of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), in an interview on Thursday, July 24, 2025.
The video, showing the boy and his grandmother, went viral on July 9, 2025, although the incident happened in March in Sitio Balanghoy, Barangay Gun-ob, Lapu-Lapu City.
“As for the grandmother, we are currently at the point where we’re talking with her and tracing which family the child can be reintegrated with. The grandmother has identified someone to whom the child can be entrusted. We also regularly conducted home visits to the grandmother and sought assistance from the barangay to monitor her progress. At this level, we have now entered the family rehabilitation phase," said Remocaldo.
The CSWDO of Lapu-Lapu is currently carrying out a Parental Capability Assessment Report (PCAR) to evaluate a parent's ability to properly care for their child.
The assessment aims to examine various aspects of parenting, including skills, knowledge, and the quality of the parent-child relationship. It also looks into the parent’s capacity to meet the child’s physical, emotional, and developmental needs. (Jessa M. Bacus, UV intern)