Filipino toddler beaten up, trampled by 'local resident' in Taiwan

A two-year-old Filipino was beaten up and trampled by a man while on vacation in Taiwan with her family, according to the report of JP Soriano in "24 Oras" Friday.

The Balagtas family was excited when they arrived in Taiwan on April 25, 2026 for a vacation with their two-year-old daughter and other relatives.

However, while they were at the train station in Taipei, the little girl suddenly ran away from the group.

The family was in shock when a man suddenly hit the child.

"To my surprise, biglang may dumaan na tao binangga siya tapos hinampas siya. Tumakbo ako agad. Kaya lang mabilis ang pangyayari, tinapaktapakan siya," said the child's mother, Veronica Balagtas.

(To my surprise, suddenly someone passing by bumped into her and then hit her. I ran immediately. But the incident happened so quickly, she was also trampled on.)

"Nung nangyari yun, actually, I was frozen. I was frozen," she added.

The man then stopped hurting the child. It was found out in an investigation conducted on the incident why the man hurt the child.

"Ginawa daw niya 'yon sa daughter ko kasi daw nainis daw yata siya na tumatakbo siya," Veronica said.

(He said he did that to my daughter because he was annoyed that she was running around.)

Soriano reported that help arrived immediately, including the ambulance.

The man was also arrested, according to reports of Taiwan's local media. The man is suspected of being a resident of Taiwan.

Inside the ambulance, it was found that the toddler had bruises and a concussion.

Taiwan tourism officials apologized and gave financial assistance.

However, Veronica said the Taiwanese government's action against the suspect and the damages due to them are not clear.

"What I need from the MECO (Manila Economic and Cultural Office) is free legal, the assistance for the entire case, to sue the assailant for moral damages, for us to be able to be compensated for the moral damages, for the suffering and the trauma that we are scarred for life as a family and to make sure that the man will be prosecuted," said Veronica.

In a statement, the Philippines' Resident Representative to Taiwan, Corazon Avecilla-Padiernos, said MECO has coordinated with the family of Veronica following the incident.

“Our Assistance to Nationals Unit has monitored the steps that the family undertook, such as filing their statement with the Taipei Police, the Prosecutor's Office as well as their visit to the Association for Victims Support. While the matter is now pending with the court, we have a continuing coordination with the Balagtas family, and they can rest assured that MECO will provide assistance,” Padiernos said. — BAP, GMA News