American, parents of minor companion face complaints

CEBU, Philippines – Criminal complaints were filed yesterday by the police and the Children’s Legal Bureau (CLB) against an American national, who went to Santa Fe last week on vacation with a 12-year-old, and the parents of the girl before the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office.

The Sta Fe Police Station filed the complaint for violation of the Republic Act 7610, otherwise known as the Child Abuse Law, against Preston Jay Kuntz.

The CLB, on the other hand, filed two criminal complaints against the parents of the girl for violations of R.A. 7610 and R.A. 9231, the law on the worst form of child labor.

Provincial Prosecutor Pepita Jane Petralba refused to give the media a copy of the complaints, citing the confidentiality of the matter considering that the victim is a minor.

The FREEMAN has the identities of the girl’s parents but is withholding their names to protect the identity of the victim.

Sources told reporters that the CLB found sufficient grounds to file criminal charges against the girl’s parents since they allegedly admitted to the police having allowed their child to go with Kuntz on a vacation.

In fact, there was a report that the parents even offered the elder sister of victim but Kuntz reportedly choose the 12-year-old girl because of her brown skin.

Kuntz took the girl from Cebu City to Sta Fe where they checked into a resort on May 13. The girl was rescued by the police on May 15 and subsequently arrested Kuntz after they were alerted by the resort owner over the presence of a foreign guest with a minor.

Kuntz denied having sexual relationship with the minor while on vacation on Bantayan Island.

The 41-year-old American claimed that the girl’s family is a friend of him and he invited them to a vacation. However, the family of the girl decided not to come at the last minute. — Fred P. Languido/LPM (THE FREEMAN)