President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday assured relatives of a child who was mauled by his guardians on Nov. 13 that justice would be handed out to those responsible for his death.
Duterte said it was very disturbing for a person who cannot defend his or herself to die in a brutal matter because of negligence.
“We will have to do something about this,” he added.
Previous reports indicated that a two-year old named John Earl died Sunday after he was reportedly put into a sack and beaten up by his own guardians Sarah Jane and Ronilo Alcain at their residence in Barangay Calinan.
Reports added that John Earl was handed over to the couple with whom he was entrusted by his mother, an overseas worker in Bahrain.
Meanwhile, the presidential daughter Inday Sara Duterte-Carpio said the they would ensure swift justice for John Early and has already assigned a special prosecutor to handle the case.
President Duterte said the victim’s fate is also suffered by many children who are entrusted to the relatives so that their parents can work.
“Marami iyan, ‘yung mga anak nila iniiiwan lang sa mga kapatid, pinsan and work as hard as they could,” he pointed out.
Duterte added that the efforts of some parents when they return home are put into waste either because the children are not par with their expectations to finish the education.
The President said he will discuss the matter with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) after he returns from the APEC Summit in Lima, Peru.
