No footage found showing abduction

CEBU, Philippines — Police are still facing a blank wall in the ongoing investigation into the alleged rape and abduction of a 19-year-old girl last July 10 in Barangay Banilad, Cebu City.

This after no footage that could help the case was found in closed-circuit television cameras in the area where she was reportedly abducted by two bonnet-wearing men and later raped inside a white van.

Police Major Dexter Basirgo, chief of the Mabolo Police Station, told reporters that they will not stop looking into the case.

“Wala pa’y witness nga nitumaw, nga maka-testify nga gi-abduct siya, and sad to note, human ka gi-abduct gibalik pa sad ka anang tungora, mao na atong tan-awon na anggulo kung how true na ang panghitabo. Pero atoa pa na susihon og palawman ang kaso,” he said.

Police Staff Sergeant Jade Omayao, investigator of the Women’s and Children’s Protection Desk (WCPD) of the Mabolo Police Station, yesterday said the medical examination performed on the victim last July 13 --72 hours after the incident—did not reveal any clues as to the perpetrators.

She said that there were no fresh injuries or sperm cells found in the victim.

“Ang genital examination nakabutang na ‘no evident injury’ during the time of the examination, ang sperm pud is ‘none seen’ ang nakabutang,” Omayao said.

However, he cautioned that the results have yet to be interpreted by an attending physician since it is not a guarantee that having no wounds 72 hours after a rape case doesn’t automatically indicate that no rape took place.

He added that the 19-year-old victim insisted that she was raped inside the van and dropped off about an hour after the abduction.

Police will be conducting an additional background investigation, and did not discount the possibility that she may have known the perpetrators.

In a separate incident, Michael Barnido, 24, was arrested by personnel of the Talamban Police Station after he was identified as suspect in the rape of a 17-year-old Grade 11 student in Barangay Sirao, Cebu City, past 7 p.m. last July 17.

Police Corporal Maryjoy Daligdig, the WCPD investigator of the Talamban Police Station, said that the victim told her parents about her ordeal two hours after she was allegedly raped, which led to the immediate arrest of Barnido.

Barnido claimed he was in a relationship with the victim. However, he will still face rape charges before the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office. — BRP (FREEMAN)