Ma caught on video hitting daughter detained by DSWD, to undergo psych tests

MANILA, Philippines–The mother who was caught hitting her 5-year-old daughter in a closed-circuit television camera footage in Grace Park, Caloocan City, on Tuesday, is now under the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-National Capital Region and will undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

City Social Welfare consultant Robert Quizon said the DSWD has stripped the abusive mother of her custodial rights and would determine the charges to be filed upon the release of psychiatric test results. As standard procedure, if the woman has psychological issues, she would be given proper medical treatment and support.

“We still have to be sure about her mental health so we could file charges against her if possible,” Quizon said.

He added that the girl, also in the custody of the DSWD, had already undergone psychological evaluation on Thursday but they were also waiting for the results. This will be added to the preparation of the summary of the case to be reviewed by the legal department.

“We could’ve opted for a faster evaluation if we turned over the mother to a private hospital. However, it would be difficult to validate for legal matters,” he explained.

Public information officer Gigi David said they have discovered that both the single mother and child were not residents of Caloocan, but from San Juan City.

“The local government, nevertheless, would give the much-needed support to the two as the incident happened in the city. We are maintaining Caloocan to be a ‘child-friendly’ city,” David told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

The 37-year-old woman, who was dragging and slapping her child at the corner of 11th Avenue and M.H. del Pilar Street, was arrested by residents of Barangay 91 there. As seen on the viral video,  she stopped in front of an optical clinic and raised her child to hit her four times. When the girl was begging for her to stop, the doctor of the clinic, Stephen Kao, told the mother off.

She dragged her daughter away and stopped in front of a store where she continued the hitting. Passersby immediately put her under citizens’ arrest. The woman was brought to the barangay hall thereafter.

The mother explained that she only did that to punish her child after she hit a glass of water at her work in a beauty salon. Upon investigation, it was found out that the child acquired scratches on the neck and a swelling left cheek.

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