Alfred Vargas, wife Yasmine's complaint vs. Rob Sy, partner dismissed by prosecutor

The Office of the City Prosecutor of Manila dismissed the complaint filed by Quezon City councilor Alfred Vargas and his wife, Yasmine Vargas, against couple Rob Sy and Juvelle Bacosa.

In his Facebook post, Sy released what he identified as a May 12 resolution from the Office of the City Prosecutor of Manila involving the complaint for alleged violation of Republic Act No. 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.

The document said that prosecutors found "no prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction" to indict the respondents Sy and Bacosa.

In their complaint, Vargas and his wife alleged that Sy and his partner failed in their legal duty under the Family Code to supervise and discipline their child, who allegedly bullied Vargas' son in a swimming competition.

The resolution said this argument "appears to be merely based on speculation."

In his statement, Sy welcomed the resolution and said their family appreciates the Manila prosecutor's evaluation of the evidence.

"Hindi po bully ang aming anak at sinisiguro po namin na siya ay aming pinapalaki ng maayos, at kung nagkakamali ay aming itinatama at dinidisiplina. Gaya ng maayos na pagpapalaki sa amin ng aming mga magulang, hangad din namin na mapalaki ng tama ang aming anak," he said.

"Sa kabila ng online hostility, cyberbullying, at maagang paghusga ng ilan na aming tiniis sa buong ordeal na ito, pinili naming huwag sumabay sa Pampublikong Drama. Sa halip, umasa kami sa tahimik ngunit matibay na bigat ng Objective Truth, Verified Clinical Psychological Evaluations, at Institutional Validation mula sa mga tamang awtoridad," Sy added.

Sy acknowledged in the same statement that based on their lawyer's advice, the legal process may still be appealed or continue further.

"Bagama't nauunawaan namin sa paliwanag ng aming abogado na maaari pa itong i-apela o humaba pa sa legal na proseso, ang dismissal o pagbabasura na ito ay isang mahalaga at kinakailangang vindication para sa aming pamilya, lalo na sa aming anak," he said.

He said their priority moving forward is safeguarding their child's welfare and emotional well-being following the legal ordeal.

"Moving forward, ang ultimate goal namin ay tuluyang ma 'Fireproof' ang aming anak mula sa epekto ng masakit na kabanatang ito. Ang absolute priority namin ay protektahan ang kanyang kapayapaan, emotional security, at overall well-being, at siguraduhing lalaki siyang ligtas, matatag, at protektado ng katotohanan."

GMA News Online has reached out to Vargas for his statement on the matter.

Vargas and his wife filed the complaint in April.

"Bullying is not normal. It is not harmless. It is not acceptable. Maaari sanang maiwasan ang insidente na ito kung hindi napabayaan ang bata ng magulang. Kaya ngayon, pinili naming lumaban. Hindi para maghiganti kundi para manindigan para sa anak ko at para sa lahat ng batang natatakot magsalita," Vargas said.

Following Vargas and Yasmine's complaint, Sy sent a statement to "Fast Talk with Boy Abunda" denying the bullying allegations against his son.

Meanwhile, Yasmine filed 20 counts of cyber libel over alleged false social media posts against her and her family.

—Carby Rose Basina/MGP, GMA News