2 girls raped in ‘frat’ rites

Six young "street gang" members, including two females, were arrested over the weekend after they were accused by four female recruits of raping and molesting them during initiation rites in their "hideout" in Parañaque City last week.

Arrested were "Toraso Fraternity" (TRS) members Archie Ferrer, 20; his older brother Joel, 27, and Rowena Cimacato, 18, of Area 1, Sitio Libjo, also in Parañaque and three minors.

The six were arrested by agents of the National Capital Region Police Office-Regional Intelligence Special Operations Office last Saturday after the four victims, one a 15-year-old high school student and three other minors whose ages range from 13 to 16, filed a complaint Saturday morning.

According to the victims, they were herded into a three-storey house on N. De Leon street owned by brothers Albert and Dan Mark Sales after they agreed to undergo initiation rites after they were recruited by their friends and TRS members Michelle and Grace Saligumba late Thursday night.

After being blindfolded, the victims said 10 male and two female TRS members started slapping them. Then, they felt hands touching and fondling their private parts.

When they started to shout their protests, the victims said they were slapped and told that they would be harmed if they continued their resistance and insisted on "quitting."

At around 4 a.m., the 15-year-old recruit said she was dragged to a room on the second floor where she was raped by one of the Ferrer boys. Later, the 16-year-old recruit was molested by Albert Sales.

Police are still hunting down the Saligumba sisters, the Sales brothers, and other TRS members who participated in the initiation rites. – Rainier Allan Ronda