The viral video of a security guard kicking a girl and destroying her Sampaguita outside of an establishment reached the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and are now in coordination with their field office to conduct a case management and psychosocial first aid on the girl.
In a Balansyado exclusive on Thursday, DSWD Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao confirmed that the agency had already seen the viral video. Dumlao said that DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian had already directed social workers to coordinate with the field office so that they could visit the child’s home.
“Napanood na nga po ng DSWD, at nakarating na sa aming atensyon itong nag-viral na video. Nakakabahala at nakakalungkot actually, na mayroong ganitong instances nga po dahil hindi naman talaga tinotolerate ng DSWD yung pananakit sa mga bata,” she said.
“Sabi nga natin, dapat they grow and they thrive in nurturing environments. Kaya nga po nagbigay ng kautusan si Secretary Rex Gatchalian sa amin pong field office [sa] na magtungo dyan sa tirahan ng bata,” she added.
Social workers will visit the child’s home in hopes of discussing the matter with the girl’s parents. Dumlao mentioned that reminding parents of their parental responsibilities plays a big role in the efforts to prevent incidents like that from occurring.
Aside from that, the DSWD will also offer the child psychosocial first aid, as the event might have caused her trauma.
“Alam naman po natin na itong experience na ‘to might also be detrimental in the development of the child. Kaya nga po magsasagawa din tayo ng home visitation, magkakaroon ng case management so that we could identify also [the] appropriate interventions na ibibigay din sa bata, gayon din sa kanyang pamilya,” Dumlao highlighted.
As they have just begun getting in touch with the field office, Dumlao stated that they have yet to find out where the child lives, what her home setting is like, and whether or not she is a student.
Dumlao said that social workers found that the child is living with her parents, but this is not the first time that someone reached out or tried to rescue them.
Asec. Dumlao on Sharing Sensitive Contents
The now-viral video made quite a stir on social media pages. However, no matter the intention, Dumlao reminded the public to still be cautious about what videos to share online, as this may affect someone.
“Lagi nating sinasabi na sana huwag na po nating isheshare yung mga ganitong impormasyon o mga nakikita natin sa social media. Kasi babalik at babalik pa din tayo sa bata. Bata pa din po ‘yan. Ang you know, several years from now, makikita niya yung ganyang video,” she said.
“Hindi ito makakatulong sa kanya. Sabi nga po natin sa healing process, especially kapag naka-experience ng trauma, hanggang na exploit ang bata o mayroon nga pong forms of abuse na na-experience sa process kasi ng reintegration kinakailangang magheal, kaya nga tayo nagsasagawa ng psychosocial first aid para ma overcome niya yung naging experience,” she added.
“Since this experience is posted on social media, maaaring bumalik o i-review niya ulit. It might not be helpful for the individual, as maaalala niya, magre-resurface yung trauma,” she continued.
‘It takes a village’
It takes a village to raise a child, Dumlao emphasized. To lessen the burden on the child’s healing process, Dumlao stated that they are not encouraging the public to proliferate similar video clips.
Apart from interventions for the child, Dumlao stated that the DSWD will also be conducting parental counselling, as ensuring children’s safety is part of one’s parental responsibility. To uphold the best interest of the child, their family should make the necessary efforts too, alongside agencies like the DSWD.
“It takes a village to raise a child. Kaya nga po there should be a collective effort on the private sector para mabantayan yung mga bata,” Dumlao said.
The process will not end with the child, as Dumlao also stated that they will be visiting the security guard as well. In line with their case management, they will be discussing with the personnel how to properly manage and treat children.
The viral incident had also come to the attention of the Philippine National Police - Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies (PNP - SOSIA). On Thursday, the PNP Civil Security Group Spokesperson PLt. Col. Eudisan Gultiano confirmed that the agency is investigating the incident.