Davao City’s Quick Response Team for Children’s Concern (QRTCC) located along San Pedro Street (davaotoday.com file photo)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines — The city’s Quick Response Team on Children’s Concerns rescued a six-year old boy from his stepfather on Wednesday.
Authorities nabbed the stepfather after a report reached them through the Kean Gabriel Hotline, which was established by the city government October last year.
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The boy’s mother testified that his husband, who was drunk at the time, beat the boy with a piece of electric wire because the child had showered in the rain.
Social worker Teresita Obang, who received the report, said the father attempted to hide the child’s bruises during their visit.
“At first the mother was convinced to file charges against her husband but when we arrived at the police station, she changed her mind. She said that she does not have an idea on how they will survive without her husband,” Obang said.
The police detained the husband and charged him with physical injuries in relation to Republic Act 7610 or the Child Abuse Law. Meanwhile, the mother will also be sued for not reporting to the authorities.
Obang said the City Social Welfare Office has taken custody of the child after they learned that the child was often left alone in their house.
“According to the neighbors, they always leave the child alone, no one was taking care of him,” Obang said.
Lorna Mandin, the head of the city’s Integrated Gender and Development Division, said the rescue of the 3-year old boy is proof that “the community is getting more involved by reporting such cases.”
Mandin said the boy’s case is among the 134 calls they received through the Kean Gabriel hotline. The sad thing, Mandin said, is that at least two children still experienced abuse in the city.
Davao City was awarded Most Child-Friendly City in 1998, 1999, 2013, 2014, and 2016, making it a hall of famer. (davaotoday.com)
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