Child abuse raps vs American

CEBU, Philippines - An American national faces a child abuse case and two other cases for allegedly uttering obscene words and for threatening two minors and their mother.

Prosecutor Alexander Acosta of the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office has recommended a P24,000-bail for American national Michael Kevin Verble.

Verble was brought before the prosecutor’s office last March 4, 2011 where he executed a waiver of detention but on the said date he has not submitted any counter-affidavit to refute the charges against him.

Aside from violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Child Abuse Law, Verble was also charged for qualified tresspassing, direct assault and grave oral defamation filed by the minor victims.

 However, in a joint resolution, Acosta dismissed the grave oral defamation charge considering that the compliant for violation of RA 7610 was basically anchored on the defamatory remarks made and uttered by the respondent.

The mother of the two minors stated that last March 3, 2011 at around 7:00 in the evening, while she and her two children were watching television, Verble entered their house without her permission.

Verble cursed the mother and her children and uttered the four-letter word and shouted at them asking who put writings on his tarot cards.

The two children trembled in fear and ran to their room and shut the door.

The mother stated that because of the “malicious, humiliating and unlawful action” of Verble, she approached the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for appropriate legal action.

NBI agent Bernard dela Cruz and NBI special investigator Florante Gaoiran, in their joint affidavit stated that when they went to the room where Verble was staying, the latter shouted cursing words at them and pushed one of the agents.

Verble, according to the dela Cruz and Gaoiran, resisted being handcuffed and tried to fight back but was eventually restrained and arrested for direct assault. –(FREEMAN)