Cop accused of luring kids into drinking liquor charged

CEBU, Philippines - Police yesterday filed a case for child abuse against their fellow policeman who reportedly enticed children to drink liquor in exchange for P20 last week which resulted to the hospitalization of the six of them.

A charge for child abuse or the violation of Republic Act 7610 was filed against Police Officer 3 Noel Monares, assigned to the Regional Intelligence Unit of the Police Regional Office-7, yesterday afternoon before the Cebu City Prosecutors Office.

Guadalupe police chief, Senior Insp. Mario Monilar, said that Monares is now at large. He said the suspect did not show up since the incident the other Tuesday afternoon during the 11th birthday of his daughter in Unit V, Oppra, barangay Kalunasan.

Six children, aged five to 11 years old, were taken to the Cebu City Medical Center for intoxication after Monares reportedly made them drink an alcoholic beverage in exchange for P20.

Monilar said that his men responded to the area after receiving the report but Monares allegedly eluded arrest. Monares had left onboard a taxicab, according to his wife after the party at 5 p.m.

But lawyer Noel Archival, counsel of Monares, in an interview with The FREEMAN said that the police are wrong in saying that Monares eluded arrest.

He accused the police, including the media, of “not being resourceful enough” to locate his client who is not actually hiding from them.

However, Archival said yesterday that he will be the one to entertain questions from the media after Monares decided not to be interviewed.

They will also file a counter-affidavit and answer the accusations against Monares before the fiscal.

The lawyer denied the report that his client made the kids drink gin because the fact was, he said, his client learned only later that day that the kids secretly drank the gin he and his buddies had left behind when he had to entertain other guests.

He was also allegedly advised not to immediately shoulder the hospital bills of the kids because he was told that the act would imply his guilt in relation to the incident.

While not in favor of the said advice, Archival also said that riding in a taxicab does not mean that Monares was escaping from the incident. It’s just that Monares did not know that the police was looking for him at that time, Archival further said.

The kids, who were hospitalized, and some others, were just also reportedly gatecrashers to the party and it was also the parents’ responsibility to look after them most especially that they are very young, this was learned.

Archival said that the parents or some residents who are mad at Monares for prohibiting cockfighting in their place may have probably advised the parents to file a case against him. – Niña G. Sumacot/MEEV  (FREEMAN NEWS)