For a parent, to see their child in a graduation toga โ a symbol of their transition to the next level of education โ is a heartfelt reward.
But what if, instead of embracing your child, a literal wall and bars stand between you?
A viral video has touched the hearts of netizens, showing a young girl in her graduation toga standing in front of a tall building, seemingly waving and speaking to a woman peering through a barred window.
According to CDN Digital, the video captured a bittersweet moment between the girl and her mother, who is currently incarcerated in Santiago, Agusan del Norte. Uploaded by the girlโs aunt on Facebook on Tuesday, April 8, the video showed the mother reaching through a small barred window to interact with her daughter, who is dressed in her kindergarten graduation outfit.
The girl, named โScarlet,โ is five years old, and her visit to the jail was to fulfill her motherโs wish of seeing her in her graduation attire.
Her aunt, Relyn Egos, shared that the mother was involved in a drug-related case in 2024.
The 27-year-old mother has been in detention for 10 months at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology facility in Cabadbaran City, Mindanao. When asked why they didnโt simply visit the mother inside the jail, the aunt explained that they couldnโt afford to bring food to celebrate the graduation with her mother.
โAs a maguwang gi tuman ra naku ang request sakung manghod bisan layoยฒ pani sa amo ni byahe me ni scarlet kay aron mahatag naku ang kalipay sa akung manghod kay isa me sa una nagdako nga wala gyod samong kiliran among inahan gumikan kay bulag na cla sa among amahan ug relate ko kaayo sa setwasyon nila kay ako mismo nag graduate ko elementary ug high school nga laing tao ang ga kuyog sako ug Paso every time mo graduate ko. (As an older sibling, I only followed my younger siblingโs request, even though we traveled a long way with Scarlet, to bring her joy, because we both grew up without our mother, due to her separation from our father. I can relate to their situation deeply because I graduated from elementary and high school with someone else by my side instead of my mother, every time I graduated),โ part of Egosโ Facebook post.
โmao sakit kaayo hunaยฒ on sama ani nga setwasyon dili mani deserve sa bata ug naa lay tarong justice satong balaodโฆ (Itโs very painful to think about a situation like this โ the child doesnโt deserve this, and if only there were proper justice in our laws hereโฆ),โ she added.
In light of this, the aunt has taken on the responsibility of supporting her niece while the mother serves her sentence. The videos posted on social media have garnered widespread attention and inspired netizens to offer their support.
Many have reached out, offering assistance to help alleviate the familyโs burden, particularly in providing for the needs of the five-year-old girl.
โLORD sana po mangyari lahat ng pinagdadasal namin ๐๐๐ may makatulong samin pagod na pagod na kami ang hirap maging mahirap๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ sa lahat po ng nag share at may concern sa pamangkin maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat ๐๐โค๐,โ Egos said.
Here are some of the netizensโ comments:
โawwee ๐ฅน๐ฅน simple lang talaga happiness ng isang ina. Kung ano man po kaso niya sana maayos soon para makita nya anak nya maka graduate ng highschool at college.โ
โAng sakit mapanood, naawa ako sa mag-ina. God bless you both.โ
โGrabe nadurog ang puso koโฆ sana makalabas na ang ina kung wala talaga siyang kasalanan. Kawawa yung anak niya. Thank you naman sa tita na nag-aalaga.โ
Egos hopes that her imprisoned sister can achieve justice because she claims that she is innocent and was only wrongfully accused, and so that she can be reunited with her child.
