Death for 2 rapists

A Manila judge sentenced to death two men for the crime of rape committed in 1999 and 2003.

Judge Romulo Lopez of Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 18 found accused Joseph de la Paz, 20, and Eduard Maningas, 34, guilty beyond reasonable doubt of raping a 31-year-old mentally challenged woman and a pregnant woman, respectively.

Lopez ordered the two to pay their respective victims of P50,000 each for damages.

Court records showed that De la Paz allegedly committed rape on May 16, 1999. The victim told that court that she was sexually abused by De la Paz, who threatened to kill her.

An elder brother of the victim testified that he saw his sister go to the comfort room outside their house. When the victim failed to return, the brother went to the comfort room. There he saw a naked De la Paz raping his sister.

De la Paz denied the accusation, but Judge Lopez gave greater weight to the straight forward testimonies of the victim and her brother.

In the Maningas case, court records showed the rape took place on April 10, 2003 inside the victim’s house in Dandan street, Tondo, Manila.

The victim, who was then three months pregnant, told the court that she was with her eight-year-old child and about to sleep when she was attacked.

He husband was on night duty as a security guard.

She said Maningas was wearing a black bonnet and armed with a fan knife. The victim said that after the rape, Maningas removed his bonnet, allowing the victim to identify him.

Like in De la Paz case, Lopez gave greater weight to the victims testimony rather than the denial of Maningas.