VIRAL: Did Bacolod congressman neglect daughter?

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – Greg Gasataya has just been elected congressman of Bacolod City, and a post about him has already gone viral. It is not, however, the kind of social media prominence that any politician would wish for.

Gasataya, a former city vice mayor, is accused by his teenage daughter, who lives in Canada, of abandoning her and failing to give her child support. 

Gabie Gasataya, 18, posted an open letter to her father, whom she said had anchored his campaign on providing education to poor children, but failed or refused to support her – his biological daughter – in her studies.

Gabie is the lawmaker’s daughter with ex-wife Odette Montelibano. She left the country with her mother in 2009, after the marriage was annulled.

In her Facebook post dated July 5, Gabie claimed that the lawmaker abandoned his obligation by not providing child support in the past 15 years. She is also asking her father to support her college education. 

Gasataya, in a statement, said that the claims of abandonment are not correct since the separation was brought by nullity of his first marriage. 

The lawmaker said that it went through a legal process and that the custody of his daughter was decreed to her mother. He stressed that the separation from his daughter “has also been a very difficult process for me as well.”

“To put things in its proper perspective, I have tried to provide for Gabie. This is in fact evident in the remittances that I have made, including an amount for her debut held last January 2016,” the lawmaker said.

As a former media practitioner, Gasataya is appealing to his former colleagues to be more understanding as he and his family go through this situation.

“With the situation that I am in right now, and with Gabie becoming of legal age and can decide for herself without any interference, I am hopeful that this is an opening for me to pick up where we left off,” Gasataya said. 

The young lady’s mother, Montelibano, said that the lawmaker does not send child support regularly. It was in 2012 and 2013 when he sent support but it was stopped. – Rappler.com