Boy bullied in viral video chose dignity, his parents say
MANILA, Philippines — Rather than seeing their son as a "poster child for a bullied boy," the public should view the victim as a "young man of good moral foundation," the parents of an Ateneo Junior High School student said.
Over the past week, a video of an Ateneo student bullying another student inside one of the comfort rooms of the Katipunan-based high school made the rounds on social media, sparking outrage from netizens.
The parents of the bullying victim have broken their silence after remaining quiet for the sake of the their minor son. In a statement, the parents pointed out that their son did not fight back in a bid to uphold his principles.
"We want you to see that he is not a loser and that he does not deserve to be pitied; rather, he should be exalted for his sense of dignity and justice beyond his years," the parents said in a statement as reported by GMA News Online.
The victim was asked by the bully to choose between his dignity or being beaten up. Choosing dignity would be the more degrading option as the bully intended to have the victim kneel and kiss his shoes and private parts, as heard in the two-minute viral video.
The parents of the victim noted that their son chose to suffer physical assault rather than surrender his self-respect.
"We would rather that the public does not know his name, as our son does not deserve to be memorialized as the 'bullied boy from Ateneo.' He is much more than the poor and hapless boy you see in that two-minute video, which is now etched in the public's mind," the statement read.
The family also expressed their gratitude to those who have show support for their son, as well as the doctors who tended the to the injuries of the junior high school student.
"Let every bully know that you may crush every single bone in his body, but you can never, no matter how frustrating you try, take away his dignity. Let every bully know that there is justice, and that crimes against the innocent will not prosper," they said.
On Sunday, Ateneo de Manila University announced that the bully in the viral video has been dismissed from the junior high school. Under the school's handbook, fighting and physical assault are violations that could lead to expulsion.
The Philippine Taekwondo Association has also decided to indefinitely ban the bully, who is a practitioner of taekwondo. The association suggested that the student undergo supervised counseling and rehabilitation.
The Department of Education issues a reminder to all public and private schools of the importance of adopting and enforcing anti-bullying policies after a video of an Ateneo student verbally and physically attacking schoolmates went viral.
The parents of the Ateneo student bullied by a schoolmate break their silence, saying that rather than remembering their son as a victim, they want the public to see him as a young man of good moral foundation.
"We want you to see that he is not a loser and that he does not deserve to be pitied; rather, he should be exalted for his sense of dignity and justice beyond his years," they say in a statement given to GMA News.
"We would rather that the public does not know his name, as our son does not deserve to be memorialized as the 'bullied boy from Ateneo.' He is much more than the poor and hapless boy you see in that 2-minute video," they added.
The Department of Education urges schools to "conduct a thorough and complete review" of their procedures and policies in light of bullying at the Ateneo de Manila Junior High School that resulted in the dismissal of a student seen assaulting a classmate in a viral video.
It also tells private schools to align their anti-bullying policies with those required by Republic Act 10627, the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013.
DepEd says schools should comply with its Child Protection Policy "which requires all public and private kindergarten, elementary, and secondary schools to create their own Child Protection Committee to ensure that cases and instances of abuse and bullying are closely monitored and expeditiously investigated."
DepEd says the Ateneo incident should be a wakeup call to take bullying cases seriously. "Bullying is a societal issue that demands the cooperation of teachers, parents, school administrators, community members, and even the media to instill among learners the culture of peace and the value of respect for one another."
The Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA) decides to indefinitely an a student taekwondo practitioner involved in violent incidents.
The PTA suggested that that child undergo supervised counseling and rehabilitation to be reinstated. Should the family decline, the young practitioner will also be expelled from the association.
"We truly believe that the best way tp move forward from this incident is to provude the child with the necessary guidance and mentorship and an opportunity to exhibit remorse and provide restitution to the community in general," the association said in a statement.
The Palace, in a statement, says it commends Ateneo de Manila University on its "swift action" in the case of a student seen in a viral video bullying another student in a school washroom.
"While we respect ADMU's academic freedom, we hope that it could finish the ongoing investigation the soonest and with regard to due process, in line with applicable jurisprudence on school," presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo also says.
READ: Malacañang's statement on the dismissal of Ateneo student involved in a bullying incident | @alexisbromero pic.twitter.com/CiqCZGAP5b
— Philstar.com (@PhilstarNews) December 23, 2018
"We hope that this occurrence will serve as a reminder that bullying is something that should never be tolerated nor condoned in any civilized institution," he also says.
Ateneo de Manila University has decided to dismiss a student seen in a video that went viral this week of him assaulting another student in a school washroom.
Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin SJ, ADMU president, says in a memo to the university community that the decision to dismiss the boy, a student at the Ateneo Junior High School, was reached "after a thorough investigation that included listening to all parties involved."
BREAKING: Student involved in Ateneo bullying case dismissed from school. @PhilippineStar pic.twitter.com/25i8LEvD8o
— Janvic Mateo (@jvrmateoSTAR) December 23, 2018
The university president stresses "the Ateneo is very clear on its stand on bullying" but says he has also ordered a "task force" to study the situation at ADMU and make recommendations on creating a safer environment on campus. -- with a report from The STAR/Janvic Mateo
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