PUBLICLY calling a 14-year-old female student with defamatory words such as 'makati ang laman,' 'malandi' and 'hindi matino' in front of her peers, teachers and parents is undoubtedly a harsh, degrading, and humiliating experience to which no child should ever be subjected. Uttering such words is held by the Supreme Court as not only against public policy but also contrary to the constitutional mandate of protecting the best interest of children.
People, in parental authority, there is no power but a task; no complex of rights but a sum of duties; no sovereignty but a sacred trust for the welfare of the minor.This natural right and duty of a parent over their unemancipated children does not only focus on discipline but includes caring for and rearing them for the development of their moral, mental, and physical character and well-being.