Parents of bullied Atenean finally speaks up, say son shows ‘true sense of dignity’

Two Junior High students of Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) were caught fighting inside a restroom in the campus. (Screengrab from a video uploaded by RE Rogue/Facebook)

Parents of the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) junior high student who was bullied in a video that made rounds on the internet and drew the ire of many netizens finally broke their silence about the incident, saying that their son should not be pitied as he chose his “true sense” of dignity.

In the viral video, a junior high school student was seen punching and kicking his schoolmate in a restroom inside the school premises, after the latter was forced to choose between being beaten or losing his dignity by kissing the bully’s shoes and private part.

“Our son was asked by the bully to make a choice. From the bully’s own words, ‘Ano ang gusto mo dignidad o bugbog (What do you want, dignity or get beaten up)?‘ — but in the bully’s definition, choosing ‘dignidad (dignity)’ was a far more degrading option, one that would subject our son to inhumane treatment and abuse,” the parents said in a statement.

“Thus, our son chose his true sense of dignity — choosing instead to be subjected to physical assault rather than surrender his self-respect. And that is what we are fighting for. Our dignity,” they added.

The parents explained that it was hard for them to keep quiet amid all the outrage over the viral video; however, they chose not to say anything during those times to protect their son.

They also do not want the public to know the identity of their child as they do not want him to be remembered as the “bullied boy from Ateneo.

” Rather than memorializing the student as a victim of bullying, the parents want everyone to see their son as “a young man of good moral foundation.”

“Our son, like your sons, is simple, God-fearing and studies really hard. He just wants to study, have good grades, and then graduate. He has big hopes and dreams. He did not do anything to deserve this kind of treatment from his classmates,” they stressed.

“But, despite what happened, we will not let this incident damage our son — he will heal from this, and we will ensure that he will grow up his morality and values intact,” they added.

The victim’s family then thanked everyone who has expressed love and support to their child as well as the doctors who gave him immediate medical attention.

“Let ever bully know that you may crush every single bone in his body, but you can never, no matter how frustrating you try, take away his dignity. Let every bully know that there is justice, and that crimes against the innocent will not prosper,” the victim’s parents said.

They continued, “Let every bully know that there is a God who favors the humble and the weak.”

Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, an alumnus of ADMU, praised the student’s parents for speaking up about the incident, saying that he has nothing but “respect” and “admiration” for the victim’s mother and father.

After a thorough investigation, the ADMU on Sunday dismissed the student caught on the video bullying his schoolmate. The dismissal means that the bully student can no longer come back to the ADMU.

The Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA) also imposed an indefinite ban on the Ateneo bully who is reportedly a taekwondo jin. The PTA said their ban includes taekwondo events, belt promotions, tournaments, and facilities of member institutions.

[READ: PTA bans Ateneo bully from competing after viral bullying incident]

The Department of Education (DepEd) earlier called the dismissal as a “first step” in addressing the “long-standing challenge” of bullying in schools.