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Mall security guard dismissed after viral incident with sampaguita vendor

A security guard caught on camera destroying a sampaguita vendor’s goods outside a mall has been fired.

In a statement posted by SM Megamall on their Facebook page, they stated that they strongly condemned the incident and expressed their sympathies to the young girl “who experienced an unfortunate incident outside our mall.”

“We have called the attention of the security agency to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation. The Security Guard has been dismissed and will no longer be allowed to service any of our malls,” they continued.

As SM Supermalls “always promotes inclusivity for all,” SM Megamall stated that they “strongly condemn his act committed against her.”

In the viral video, a teenage Sampaguita vendor in a school uniform is seen clashing with a security guard. The security guard abruptly grabbed the girl’s bundles of sampaguita and destroyed them as soon as she stood up, causing the girl to throw the ruined Sampaguita at the guard’s face.

After the guard had dropped his handkerchief and walkie-talkie, he then kicked her while she continued to strike him.

The guard’s kicking of the girl and destruction of her garlands drew criticism from social media users who pointed out that it could be considered child abuse.

One user wrote, “Kicking a child is child abuse. Nakalungkot na ang daming nonchalant [It’s sad that a lot are nonchalant]. Wala man lang nag-effort magsalita [No one even made an effort to speak] to stop the adult and separate the child.”

Another user wrote, “I would say the guard is in the wrong, even the girl is not permitted to sell in this area. The guard needs to be cautious on what he is doing and should kindly tell the girl to leave.”

Ang sakit panuuorin nito. Yung hiya nung bata na ganunin in front of the mall at yung sirain yung paninda nya na baka pinagkukuhaan nya ng baon [It’s painful to watch. The shame of the kid doing that in front of the mall and destroying the goods that she was probably getting money from],” as written by a third user.

While many were infuriated with what the guard did, some social media users seemed skeptical about the girl’s actions.

No follow-up statement has been released by SM or the security guard as of this writing.

 

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