By Bonita Ermac
Correspondent
and Nora C. Soriño
Iligan City Bureau Chief
ILIGAN City ― A father is praying for his nine-year-old son’s recovery after the boy was allegedly beaten by a group of high school students in Iligan City on Monday, August 4.
Jonelon Ensipido said his son, a Grade 3 pupil at Maria Cristina Falls Elementary School, was reportedly assaulted in Barangay Maria Cristina, leaving the boy with severe injuries. The boy was later rushed to Northern Mindanao Medical Center in Cagayan de Oro City and is now in the intensive care unit.
According to his father, his son came home quietly on August 4, and the family initially thought he was just tired.
Another boy later informed Jonelon’s wife that her son had been beaten, but she dismissed it as a typical children’s quarrel.
The younger Ensipido complained of a headache later that evening. On the night of August 5, he could no longer speak. The following day, his family brought him to a local hospital before transferring him to Cagayan de Oro City.
“He can only move his hands and feet, like he’s sleeping. I hope he recovers,” the older Ensipido said in an interview.
Police investigators revealed that four Grade 8 students from Maria Cristina National High School are being investigated in connection with the incident, said Iligan City Police Office Spokesperson PMAJ Zandrex Panolong.
Authorities believe the mauling stemmed from an earlier fight between the boy and a relative of one of the suspects.
An official from Maria Cristina Falls Elementary School clarified that the school was not informed of the incident by the family and only learned about it from social media.
A viral video currently circulating online has also been clarified as unrelated to the mauling incident.
The boy’s teacher, Lala Navarette, who visited him on Friday, August 8, said that the boy was already conscious and out of the coma, and even smiled when he heard she came to visit.
The family is pleading for justice and financial help.
