DFA to probe gang-rape of Pinay in Papua New Guinea

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is sending a senior official to Papua New Guinea to investigate reports that a Filipina was gang-raped there and her Australian companion was shot and killed, Secretary Albert del Rosario said yesterday.

“We are investigating this. We are sending a senior official to be able to see other forms of assistance that we can provide, and to the others as well who may be in jeopardy,” he told Palace reporters, who were joined by foreign correspondents.

“We are of course trying our best to help. The message is that she should not be left alone, and her privacy should be respected,” Del Rosario said.

The DFA reported that last week, armed men gang-raped a Filipina and shot dead her Australian companion in Papua New Guinea.

The news came out in the Global Post where the male victim was identified as 62-year-old Robert Purdy of Melbourne.

Purdy was killed by a group of about 10 men at a house on the outskirts of Mount Hagen.

The Filipina, who has not returned to the Philippines, was not immediately identified.

“Our embassy in Port Moresby has been informed that this case is still under police investigation. The embassy is coordinating with authorities in Papua New Guinea to determine what happened,” DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said in a text message.

The report said Mount Hagen was also the scene of a brutal killing last February when villagers stripped naked a 20-year-old mother and set her on fire in front of a crowd.