A street cleaner was fired by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) when he was caught on video apparently physically assaulting his girlfriend and her 11-year-old son.
In a statement sent to the media yesterday, the MMDA said it is terminating Roel Gatos for physically assaulting his partner, Irene dela Vega, and their child in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, reports The Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Gatos told Radyo Inquirer in an interview that he and dela Vega fought after he couldn’t find the lid of their aquarium. Their altercation was caught on video by dela Vega’s child from a previous relationship, whom Gatos also mauled.
“I just disciplined them too much. I didn’t control myself. I was overcome by my emotions,” a tearful Gatos said, who was later charged with violating Republic Act 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004.
Read: Couple in viral confrontation apologizes, MMDA to pursue their complaint
Chairman Danilo Lim ordered the immediate dismissal of Gatos after the assault video became viral. In a statement, MMDA spokeswoman Celine Pialago said Lim also gave financial assistance and groceries to dela Vega and her child. The chairman also promised to give the victim a job in the MMDA, Pialago told GMA News.
Meanwhile, a separate Facebook post from Pialago’s Facebook page showed the suspect accepting the MMDA’s termination order at the San Jose del Monte police station.
“Based on the attending facts, it is very clear that you [Gatos] have committed disgraceful and immoral acts, which are conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the MMDA being a public employee,” Lim said in his termination order.
