MANGALDAN—The family of an 11-year-old boy who allegedly died on January 7, ten days after being bullied and mauled by his playmates during a Christmas party in Barangay Salay this town is crying for justice.

Roberto Tabuñar, 38, a pedicab driver and father of victim Roger Jackson Tabuñar, said the death of his son Roger, also known as “Kalbo” or “Ogeng”, the eldest of his two children, became weaker each day since he was mauled on December 28.

Roberto Tabuñar views the remains of his son, Roger. (Philstar Wire Service)

“We want justice for what happened to my son,” Roberto said who described Roger as a quiet child.

The elder Tabuñar said Roger attended a Christmas party for children in their barangay despite his advice not to go since some of the children known to be bullying him regularly would be there.

Three of the kids bullying him reportedly dragged him outside the party area and mauled him but the victim just kept the incident to himself until his health began deteriorating.

Roger started having bouts of fever and severe pain on his right leg and was brought to an albularyo (quack doctor) who managed to give him some quick relief but he became sleepy most of the time and felt weak and could no longer stand because his right leg became more swollen.

On January 5, he was brought to Mangaldan Infirmary and two days later to Pangasinan Provincial Hospital in San Carlos City, where he eventually died.

Roberto rejected a claim by some of their neighbors that Roger climbed a mango tree and fell on Jan. 1 that caused injury to his left leg.

P/Superintendent Jay Baybayan, the town’s police chief, said the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer has taken over the cases of the minors involve.

Roger’s grandmother, Merly Tabuñar, who works as a street sweeper, told the police Roger was frequently bullied by some kids.

In a separate interview, Loida Naraja, 46, a vendor, whose 10-year-old son is among those accused, denied the allegations of the victim’s family. “They were only together during the party for a dance but there was no fight between them,” Naraja said who claims his son and Roger were classmates and were often seen together going to school.

She said if the victim’s family wants justice, “the family should allow an autopsy on the body to find out the truth.”

Jane Mercado, 28, sister of one of the suspects aged 9, said they only learned about the allegation against her brother through gossips in the community.

Myra Naraja, a mother of another suspect aged 11, said her son is also bullied but does not fight back, adding that based on their neighbor’s information, it was Roger’s father who abused him physically and was actually reported to the barangay.

Loida, Jane and Myra, said they also want justice, adding that the accused children are now experiencing trauma and are the subject of bullies in their neighborhood and have since refuse to attend school.

Based on the victim’s death certificate signed by Dr. Leo Tongson, his immediate cause of death was septic shock, the antecedent cause was pneumonia and the underlying cause was blunt abdominal trauma. (PhilStar Wire Service)

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