Hair stylist faces child abuse raps

CEBU, Philippines - Prosecutors have filed charges against a 57-year-old hair stylist who was accused of hurting a minor during a disagreement at a pharmacy earlier this month.

Prosecutor Sarah Vanessa Lacno filed a case for child abuse against Wilgie Goite after the latter chose to face the charges straight in court. Lacno recommended a P20,000 bail for Goite’s temporary liberty.

The minor, a 17-year-old girl, alleged that she and her mother chanced upon Goite at a pharmacy at around 8 p.m. on September 17, 2015. Goite’s salon is located right across the pharmacy.

There, Goite allegedly started “criticizing” her, which led to an argument.

 “…it so happen that he (accused) was also there buying medicines,” the minor’s affidavit reads, adding, “My mother…went inside the latter’s parlor and confronted him. I immediately stood between them to calm my mother who was already fuming mad.”

 At this point, Goite allegedly grabbed the girl’s hair, punched her several times in the head, and scratched her arm.

The incident, apparently, was not the first time between the two parties.

In her affidavit, the minor said an argument also ensued at Goite’s salon where her mother had her hair trimmed.

 “Last month, my mother and I went to a beauty parlor in our place to have my mother’s hair trimmed. To our dismay the supposed hair stylist whom we later knew as Goite did not know how to trim my mother’s hair and the result turned out very ugly,” she said, adding this resulted to a misunderstanding between them and the accused.

 The minor’s mother corroborated her daughter’s statement.

Jeffrey Calumpang the Barangay Public Safety Officer of Barangay Basak, Cebu City confirmed the mother and child went to the barangay hall to report the incident at the pharmacy. “We immediately responded to their request for assistance and accompanied them to the place of incident,” he said.

Goite reportedly surrendered himself peacefully to them.

It was not clear if the incident at the pharmacy stemmed from the argument at Goite’s salon. — (FREEMAN)