(Eagle News)–The parents of the Ateneo student who was seen being physically assaulted by another in a viral video want their son to be remembered as someone who had a “strong moral foundation” and not as the “poster child for a bullied boy.”
Breaking their silence for the first time, the parents said in a statement that their son, after all, “did not fight fire with fire, upholding instead his virtues of what is right and wrong” when he did not fight back when he was being bullied by his schoolmate as seen in the two-minute viral video.
The schoolmate has since been dismissed.
They noted that their son chose “his true sense of dignity” when he chose instead to be subjected to physical assault rather than “surrender his self-respect.”
They said their son was “simple, God-fearing, and studies really hard.”
“We want you to see that he is not a loser and does not deserve to be pitied; rather he should be exalted for his dignity and justice beyond his years..He is much more than the poor and hapless boy in that two-minute video that is now etched in the public’s mind,” they said.
They also urged those who have been bullied and their parents to “never give up!” and to let their voices be heard, as they warned bullies that “there is justice and crimes against the innocent will not prosper.”
“Let every bully know that there is a God that favors the humble and the weak,” they said, as they thanked all those who supported their family during the trying times.
