Mom of boy witness in Sagay massacre files raps vs. ex-partner, cops

The mother of a 14-year-old survivor in the killing of nine sugarcane farmers in Sagay, Negros Occidental has filed criminal charges against the child's father and police officers with the Department of Justice.

The woman accuses her former partner, Vic Pedaso, of psychological abuse for allegedly forcing to gain custody of the child, coercing her to go to the police, and threatening to file charges against her, said her lawyer Kathy Panguban.

Sagay City's police chief, Robert Mansueto, and city police officers Julie Ann Diaz and Christine Magpusaw, on the other hand, were tagged for violation of the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.

Panguban said they also violated Supreme Court rules on handling child witnesses for allegedly taking the child's testimony without the presence of a person the child trusts.

The lawyer, who faces kidnapping charges for allegedly abducting the minor, claimed the police are hounding mother and son to turn the child into a "star witness" for their "distorted narrative" of the killing that has come to be known as the Sagay massacre.

The mother has denied Panguban kidnapped her son.

Panguban said the boy has repeatedly claimed that he cannot accurately identify the alleged gunmen because it was dark at the time of the incident.

"Saka siyempre 'yung pangamba n'ung nanay na hindi na magiging normal muli 'yung buhay nilang mag-ina once na naging ganun 'yung sitwasyon," the lawyer said, adding that the two are being sheltered by non-government organizations.

The boy was reportedly a friend of a 17-year-old fatality in the shooting incident that killed nine members of the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) last October.

Around a week after the massacre, police said they have filed multiple murder charges against nine suspects. The incident is also being investigated by the National Bureau of Investigation. — RSJ, GMA News