Alfred and Yasmine Vargas urged fellow parents to speak up against bullying. In an interview with veteran journalist Karen Davila, the two explained why they decided to come forward to protect their children who are alleged victims of bullying.
It was back in April when both Alfred and Yasmine took a stand against bullying and filed a criminal complaint against the parents of their child’s alleged bully. On top of that, they have also filed 20 counts of cyberlibel against those who continue to harass their family.
READ: Alfred Vargas and wife Yasmine take stand against parents of son’s alleged bully
Yasmine admitted that it took her some time to come forward because she wanted to protect her children, who might face hate on social media.
“Sobrang tagal kong pinagisipan. Naisip ko, idrdrag ko ba yung pangalan ng mga anak ko? Kasi siyempre, pagpipiyestahan sila sa social media. Naisip ko, ng asawa ko,” she expressed.
“Gusto ko protektahan sila, gusto ko lang protektahan sila and make sure na safe sila kasi meron na rin threats. Yun lang ang priority ko ngayon,” she added.
Alfred maintained that anyone could fall victim to bullying –– no matter the social status. He insisted how painful it is as a parent to see their children being bullied by people.
READ: Alfred Vargas and wife file 20 counts of cyberlibel: ‘Hindi na po ito maaaring magpatuloy’
When asked to offer a message to fellow parents who may be in a similar situation, the couple assured them that they are not alone in the battle.
“Mag salita sila. Yun ang message ko na wag nila itago sa parents nila kasi yung iba tinatago sa parents nila kasi nahihiya sila. At yung parents, please please ipaglaban niyo anak niyo,” Yasmine said.
“Siguro sa lahat ng nabully or sa mga parents ng nabully, hindi tayo nag-iisa. Marami tayo and it’s time to speak up. Meron larong bata, totoo pero meron hindi na larong bata and obligasyon natin lahat. Whether yung anak natin yung binully o yung anak natin yung bully. Bilang magulang, obligasyon natin palakihin sila sa isang ligtas, isang safe na lugar, at obligasyon natin palakihin sila ng maayos–– ng hindi nananakit sa kapwa,” Alfred ended.
The couple previously claimed that the alleged bully of their child repeatedly pushed and held their son underwater during training sessions. Meanwhile, in the same interview with Karen, Yasmine recalled the incident and how shocked she was as the alleged bully was supposedly their child’s friend.