Cop accused of rape

MANILA, Philippines - A 17-year-old girl accused a police officer of raping her at the Caloocan police station Sunday night.

The complainant, who works at a girlie bar also in Caloocan, told the women and children protection desk unit at Sub-station 2 that SPO1 Joselito Tayag Jr., assigned at the Northern Police District-District Police Intelligence Unit abused her in one of the rooms at the DPIU office at around 10 p.m.

Tayag reportedly picked her up at Autida’s Place along Libis Espina street in Barangay 16, Caloocan City at around 9 p.m. and brought her to the DPIU office where she was allegedly raped.

Chief Inspector Bartolome Tarnate, Tayag’s immediate superior, denied the accusation claiming that the girl only wanted to get back at Tayag after she was caught stealing the police officer’s cellular phones.

Tayag’s cell phones was recovered after the persons who bought them from the girl returned the phones to the DPIU office, Tarnate said. “I standby my agent, that the accusation never happened especially here inside the police station. But it would now be up to Tayag to answer the charges in proper forum,” Tarnate told The STAR yesterday.

Tayag was relieved from the DPIU and was transferred to the NPD holding center to avoid speculations of “whitewash” in the investigation of the case, Tarnate said.