NBI subpoenas other alleged victims of priest at ANS

The National Bureau of Investigation has issued subpoenas to the students of the Abellana National School who claimed to have been inappropriately touched by a priest during confession after only one of the alleged victims and one witness executed affidavits against the priest.

Special Investigator Jedidah Hife said that until now only one of the more than 20 alleged victims and another student who witnessed the incident came to her office to execute an affidavit against the priest, whose name has been withheld until now by the NBI and the Archdiocese.

Hife said the other victims appeared to be disinterested in pursuing the case against the priest. She, however, said the affidavit of one of the victims and the witness could be basis already to proceed to the next level in the investigation.

But the investigator said it would be proper to hear the other victims first before making the next step. Hife said she has already issued a subpoena to all the victims, based on the records of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Hife said that should the other victims refuse to execute affidavits, she will wrap up her investigation based on the evidence at hand.

The NBI earlier subpoenaed officials from the Department of Education, Oasis of Love and Abellana Nationl School to submit the names of the priests invited to the Life in the Spirit Seminar last November and the investigation report on the alleged harassment incident.

The NBI took over the investigation last month after the DSWD failed to compel the officials of the Archdiocese, the Oasis of Love and the DepEd to cooperate in their investigation.

Church officials and the organizers of the Life in the Spirit Seminar at the Abellana National School refused to reveal the names of the priests they invited. One of the victims and a witness however already identified the priest through a simulated lineup, using enlarged pictures from the NBI files. - Fred P. Languido/QSB