Woman jailed for abusing stepkids

MANILA, Philippines - A woman was arrested for allegedly maltreating her partner’s two children, police said yesterday.

Christine Fernandez, 27, was detained for serious physical injuries in relation to Republic Act 7610 (anti-child abuse law) after the mother of the children – a 10-year-old girl and a nine-year-old boy – went to the Valenzuela City police station to file a complaint.

The victims, accompanied by their mother, showed up at the police station with welts and bruises still visible on their bodies. The injuries were reportedly inflicted by Fernandez over a year, after their father took custody of them in 2009. The children’s parents have been separated for two years.

The girl, a fourth grade student, had eyes still puffy from crying. She bore bruises on her left arm, abdomen and back. Her brother has lacerations on his left ear and back.

Police Officer 1 Annaliza Antonio of the Women and Children’s Concerns Desk said the victims were maltreated when their 45-year-old father was at work.

“Pinaso po ako ng kaldero sa braso tapos yung mukha ko pinalo ng tsinelas at yun pong tiyan ko pinalo po niya ng kawayan. Tapos yun kapatid ko piningot ng plies sa tenga (She held a hot caldron against my arm, hit me in the face with a slipper, and hit my belly with a bamboo stick. She twisted my brother’s ear with a pair of pliers),” the girl told investigators.

The two children said they did not tell their father about the abuse because Fernandez threatened them with more harm. The girl reportedly vomited blood when Fernandez punched her in the back.

Yesterday, the girl’s school adviser, Dominador Malaba, noticed her swollen face and convinced her to tell him about her ordeal. Malaba went to the police and reported the abuse.