Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said that the welfare of the three-year old girl allegedly abused by her mother is the utmost priority of the Department.

The alleged child abuse case went viral on Facebook last week. Facebook posts showed the little girl with bruises on her face. The posts were made by the little girl’s alleged biological father. The same posts included screenshots of the alleged father’s exchanges with the mother who admitted to have hurt the child and even said that she hoped that the child would hit her own head so she would lose consciousness.

According to Mexico, Pampanga’s  Municipal Social Welfare Development Officer Josie Soliman, the mother of the girl denied hitting her child. She said that the child hit her chin when she slipped in the bathroom, thus the wound. The mother, however, admitted texting the child’s father using the situation of the child in order to get money.

Sec. Taguiwalo said that the child will undergo medico-legal today to ensure her physical health and validate the cause of the wound.

The Secretary added that a psychological evaluation will also be conducted on the child as she manifested  fear by crying when the name of her mother is being mentioned.

On the other hand, the mother will also be provided counseling especially that she has been previously reported to have also hurt her eldest child.  The mother, who is currently five months pregnant, seemed to be distraught over their lack of financial resources.

The girl is now currently under the custody of the maternal grandparents but DSWD will continue to provide her with appropriate services.

Sec. Taguiwalo appealed to the public to immediately report cases of child abuse, however trivial the incident may be so that appropriate intervention can be done.

“The development of the child is important. Any form of abuse deserves to be reported so that the child’s best interest can be protected.  Let us not wait  for cases to be reported over social media and become viral before we act,” Sec. Taguiwalo ended. ###