MANILA, Philippines — Quezon City Councilor and actor Alfred Vargas, along with his wife Yasmine, has filed a criminal complaint against the parents of a minor who reportedly bullied and physically abused their son.
The couple filed the complaint before the Office of the City Prosecutor of Manila on Monday, April 13, 2026. The case cites a violation of Section 10(a) of Republic Act No. 7610, also known as the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.
According to the statement released by the Vargas family, the complaint details a recurring pattern of dangerous behavior by the respondents’ child during swimming training sessions.
- Dangerous Conduct: The minor allegedly repeatedly pushed the Vargases’ son and held him underwater.
- Harassment: Vargas also recounted a specific incident involving lewd harassment directed at their son.
- Breaking Point: The situation escalated during a swimming competition at the Rizal Sports Complex in February. Vargas and other witnesses reportedly saw the minor push his son and laugh at him with a group of friends, causing the child significant emotional distress.
A core component of the criminal complaint is the alleged failure of the respondents to supervise their child despite being notified of the behavior.
- Gaslighting Claims: Vargas stated that every time they approached the parents to resolve the issue, they were either “dismissed or gaslighted.”
- Failure to Discipline: The couple accuses the parents of neglecting their legal duty under the Family Code to discipline their child and prevent the recurrence of behavior prejudicial to another child’s welfare.
- Online Misrepresentation: Vargas further claimed that one of the respondents continued to post misrepresentations of the incidents online even after being confronted.
Vargas emphasized that their decision to file a case was not born of a desire for revenge, but a need to set a precedent for other families.
“Bullying is not normal. It is not harmless. It is not acceptable. This incident could have been avoided if the child had not been neglected by the parent,” Vargas said in Filipino. “We have chosen to fight back… to stand up for my child and for all the children who are afraid to speak up.”
Under RA 7610, child abuse includes acts that debase, degrade, or demean the intrinsic worth and dignity of a child as a human being. By targeting the parents, the Vargas family is highlighting the legal principle of parental liability in cases where a minor’s actions lead to the abuse of another minor due to a lack of parental supervision.
The filing comes amid a national conversation on the impact of school bullying, with recent studies from Edcom II highlighting how such environment-based trauma significantly affects students’ academic performance and mental health.