THE WINDOW OF NO RETURN

In the quiet town of Natividad, Pangasinan, the year 2021 was defined by the silence of the pandemic and the invisible struggles of the working class. However, for 15-year-old Boyet (a pseudonym), the silence was shattered by a single glance through a window. What he witnessed was not just a crime against his father’s honor, but the complete disintegration of his childhood innocence.

Through the glass, Boyet saw his mother, Mona, in a compromising position with a neighbor—a man who wore the uniform of the Philippine National Police (PNP). This was not a rumor whispered at the local sari-sari store; it was a firsthand account from a son tasked by his father to be the eyes and ears of a family separated by migration.

This report examines the collapse of the Ubaldo marriage, the predatory nature of a local law enforcer named Jason Sapigo, and the landmark administrative victory that proved that in the Philippines, a man’s career can be destroyed by the very “integrity” he swore to protect.

PART I: THE FOUNDATION OF THE UBALDO FAMILY

To understand the weight of the betrayal, one must first understand the man who was betrayed. Reyaldo “Rey” Ubaldo was the quintessential Filipino “Padre de Pamilya.”

The Responsible Father

Rey was not a man of luxury, but he was a man of character. When Mona became pregnant during their youth, Rey did not flee. In a society where “hit-and-run” fatherhood is a tragic commonality, Rey stayed. He married Mona and dedicated his life to the three children they eventually shared.

The Economic Sacrifice

For years, Rey worked locally in Pangasinan. He funded a small sari-sari store for Mona, hoping it would provide her with a sense of purpose and a small stream of income while he worked as a laborer. However, the limited wages of the province were not enough to send three children to high school. Like millions of other Filipinos, Rey made the difficult choice to become an internal migrant worker.

In March 2021, Rey moved to Metro Manila to work at a construction site. He lived in a “barrack”—a temporary, cramped shelter provided to construction workers. He endured the sweltering heat of the city and the physical toll of hauling cement and steel, all with one goal: to send every possible peso back to Natividad.

PART II: THE PANDEMIC AS A CATALYST FOR DECAY

The year 2020 and early 2021 brought the COVID-19 pandemic, an event that did more than just threaten health; it attacked the financial stability of the poor.

The Lockdown Crisis

When the lockdowns were implemented across Luzon, construction sites in Manila were shuttered. Rey found himself trapped in the city, unable to earn and unable to travel home. The communication between him and Mona turned from affectionate check-ins to desperate pleas for money.

Mona, facing the reality of three hungry children and a failing sari-sari store, began to project her frustration onto Rey. While Rey was eating sweet potato tops and borrowing money from fellow workers just to send a few hundred pesos via Gcash, Mona began to view him as a failure. In her mind, Rey’s inability to provide during a global catastrophe was a personal abandonment.

The Entry of the Predator

It was during this period of vulnerability that Jason Sapigo, a police officer assigned to the local Natividad station, entered the scene. Sapigo was a “newcomer” to the neighborhood, renting a house just a few doors down from the Ubaldos.

Sapigo possessed what Rey lacked: a steady government salary, a position of authority, and physical presence. He began frequenting Mona’s store. When Mona mentioned her financial struggles, Sapigo offered “loans.” These were not traditional loans; they were interest-free, open-ended, and given with a “kindness” that masked a predatory intent.

PART III: THE “DEBT OF FLESH”

The relationship between Mona and the policeman, Jason Sapigo, followed a classic pattern of grooming and exploitation.

The 80,000 Peso Trap

Over the course of a year, Mona’s debt to Sapigo reportedly ballooned to 80,000 pesos. In 2021, for a family in rural Pangasinan, this was an insurmountable sum. Sapigo did not pressure her for repayment; instead, he used the debt as a psychological leash.

Mona, feeling a sense of “gratitude” mixed with the thrill of a new, stable provider, began to see Sapigo as her “real” husband. The community started noticing them together at the market. Mona’s behavior toward Rey changed. She became cold, shortened their calls, and eventually told him, “Just take care of the children. Forget about me.”

The Son as a Spy

Rey, sensing the shift in his wife’s soul, made a heartbreaking decision. He asked his eldest son, Boyet, to watch the house. It is a testament to Rey’s desperation that he would burden a 15-year-old with the task of uncovering his mother’s infidelity.

Rey’s logic was simple: $Evidence + Truth = Justice$. He needed to know if his sacrifices in Manila were being mocked in his own bedroom.

PART IV: THE FORENSIC MOMENT – THE WINDOW INCIDENT

The climax of the domestic investigation occurred when Boyet, following his father’s instructions, decided to look through the window of their home while Sapigo was visiting.

The Visual Testimony

Boyet witnessed his mother in an act of gross infidelity with the policeman. The boy’s description was clinical and devastating: he saw his mother “on top” of the policeman. There was no room for misinterpretation. For a 15-year-old boy, seeing his mother desecrate his father’s bed with a man who was supposed to uphold the law was a psychological trauma that would form the basis of the future legal case.

Boyet immediately reported the incident to Rey in Manila. The “construction worker father” was destroyed. He was working to build structures for strangers while the structure of his own family was being demolished by a neighbor in a blue uniform.

PART V: THE FINAL BLOW – THE ADULTEROUS PREGNANCY

If the visual evidence was not enough, biology provided the final, irrefutable proof. Despite Rey being in Metro Manila for over a year with no physical contact with his wife, Mona became pregnant.

The Abandonment

When the pregnancy became visible, Mona did not ask for forgiveness. Instead, she chose to fully commit to her betrayal. She abandoned her three children—the very children Rey was working to support—and moved into an apartment in a nearby town with Jason Sapigo.

Mona’s abandonment was the “m*rder” of the family unit. She left Rey with a house full of memories and three children who had to be both mothered and fathered by a man whose heart was in pieces.

PART VI: THE LEGAL STRATEGY – ADMINISTRATIVE VS. CRIMINAL

When Rey returned to Natividad, he was a broken man with no money to hire a high-priced lawyer. He initially went to the Barangay Captain, who dismissed him with a cynical warning: “He is a policeman. You cannot win.”

However, Rey eventually found his way to the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO). The advice he received there was a masterclass in Philippine legal strategy.

The Administrative Route

The lawyer explained that a criminal case for Adultery or Concubinage is difficult, expensive, and often ends in a “settlement” or dismissal due to technicalities. Instead, the lawyer suggested an Administrative Case through the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) and the PNP Internal Affairs Service (IAS).

The charges were specific:

Immoral Conduct: Engaging in a relationship with a married woman while being a representative of the state.

Conduct Unbecoming of an Officer: Behavior that brings discredit to the uniform and the institution.

Abuse of Authority: Utilizing his position and financial stability to exploit a vulnerable woman in his jurisdiction.

The goal was not to put Sapigo in jail, but to “k*ll” his career. In the Philippines, for a policeman, losing one’s job is a fate worse than a short prison sentence. It means the forfeiture of all benefits, the loss of pension, and a permanent “dishonorable discharge” that prevents future employment in any security or government sector.

PART VII: THE VERDICT AND THE FALL OF THE POLICEMAN

The case relied heavily on the testimony of the 15-year-old son. Boyet’s consistency and the trauma he exhibited while recounting the “window incident” were viewed as highly credible by the investigators.

The Evidence Stack

The Son’s Testimony: Firsthand account of the physical act.

The Timeline: Rey’s construction logs and Gcash records proved he had no physical access to Mona during the time of conception.

The Pregnancy: Mona’s own admission (and eventually the birth of the child) served as the biological receipt of the crime.

The Community Witness: Neighbors testified to seeing Sapigo and Mona together as a couple.

The Final Decision

The PNP Internal Affairs Service ruled in favor of Reyaldo Ubaldo. Jason Sapigo was dismissed from the service. * Forfeiture of Benefits: He lost every peso of his accumulated retirement fund.

Disqualification: He was barred from ever holding public office.

Loss of Rank: He was stripped of his title and his authority.

In a final twist of justice, Sapigo’s legal wife, upon learning of the full extent of the betrayal and the loss of the family’s future pension, also left him. The “predator” who thought he could steal a family was left with nothing but a dishonored name and a woman who was with him primarily for the money he no longer had.

VIII. CONCLUSION: THE BITTERSWEET VICTORY

Reyaldo Ubaldo did not get his wife back. He did not get back the year he spent hauling cement while his home was being desecrated. But in a country where the poor are often told to stay silent when facing those in uniform, Rey proved that the truth, when documented, is a lethal weapon.

Rey remains in Natividad with his three children. He is still a construction worker, but he is now a “victorious” father in the eyes of his community. He chose the law over the bolo (machete), and in doing so, he ensured that his children saw their father stand up to a bully and win.