Sympathy pours out for student mistaken as shoplifter

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — The Notre Dame University student who was mistaken as a shoplifter found supporters among local businessmen.

The Muslim Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Cotabato on Monday chided the management of the downtown branch of Mercury Drug for ignoring a security guard's harassment last week of a 16-year-old student mistaken as a shoplifter.

The chamber's chairperson, Bai Sandra Siang, told Oblate Media the establishment ought to apologize to the child, Li Owen Chua, a first year student, who was humiliated by the false accusations.

Sources from the Department of Social Welfare and Development said the affront and harassment done by a guard of the Asiatic Detective and Security Agency, surnamed Biñez, was in violation of the Republic Act 7610, also known as the Philippine Anti-Child Abuse Law.

"The management of that Mercury Drug branch should not take the issue lightly," Siang said, referring to the drugstore's branch along Sinsuat Avenue near the Cotabato City plaza.

The drugstore's management had refused to apologize for the maltreatment of Chua by its security guard.

Relatives of Li Owen Chua, who, as a child, is protected by Republic Act 7610, also known as Anti-Child Abuse Law, said officials of the Mercury Drug are simply passing the blame on the security guard, whose surname is Biñez, as an excuse.

The firm's district manager told the mother of Chua last Wednesday that the Mercury Drug branch cannot apologize for the victim's unpleasant experience, being a big company which has a monolithic, centralized management chain.

Ronald Mamaril, dean of the NDU's College of Business and Accountancy, has promised to initiate an inquiry on the issue and come out with an official statement in support of Chua.

Efforts by the Oblate Media to secure explanation from the management of the drugstore since last week were futile.

Chua was to buy a bottle of lotion from the grocery section of the drugstore, but changed his mind and decided to leave and return to the NDU campus.

Chua left the merchandise he was supposed to buy at one of the display racks of groceries inside the Mercury Drug along Sinsuat Avenue, near the Cotabato City plaza.

Biñez grabbed Chua by the wrist and rudely ordered him to turn over the bottle of lotion which the former thought he had pocketed. The security officer also searched Chua's bag, but found nothing.

He lambasted Chua with invectives as he forced the child to confess to having stolen something from the drugstore.

Chua left the drugstore weeping after having been embarrassed by Biñez, who himself discovered that the bottle of lotion was indeed on the display shelf where the minor had left it.

DSWD sources said Chua can seek redress by filing a protest against the drug store's seeming violation of Republic Act 7610.

Aida Labina, a key social welfare staff of the Kidapawan City LGU, in a comment on Facebook, said what the guard had done to Chua and the establishment's turning a blind eye on the incident was in total disregard of the child protection law.

Labina said there are legal, peaceful ways of seeking justice for Chua.