President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday vowed to take action to protect children and women from all forms of violence and abuse.
The President said that he is alarmed by escalating cases of child abuse and violence against women in the country.
He cited the case of a two-year-old boy who was allegedly beaten to death by his guardians in Davao City.
“All over the country, drug related cases meron… On the rise itong ano child abuse, sexual or battery. And itong crime against women medyo tumataas,” Duterte said in his pre-departure speech to Peru at the Davao International Airport.
The President vowed justice for the death of the two-year-old boy mauled to death by his guardians Sarah Jane Alcain and husband Ronilo.
Reports said the couple got angry because the child urinated in his pants but they denied that they killed him. The child’s mother is an overseas Filipino worker working in the Middle East.
“This is really very disturbing, for a human being who cannot defend himself to die in a brutal matter through negligence. We’ll have to do something about this,” Duterte said.
“We’ll have to do something about this. Marami iyan, ‘yung mga anak nila iniiwan lang sa mga kapatid, pinsan and they work their ass to death. Pagdating dito, napurnada ang pagod nila either because their children are not at par with their expectations na makatapos, malulong sa droga. These are the things we have to balance,” he added.
The Chief Executive said he would discuss the rise of such cases with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) once he returns from Peru.
“I think we really have to talk to DSWD. I might really (look over) this thing when I come back,” he said./rga