Quezon City mayor denies punching suspect in Korean’s slay

MANILA, Philippines - Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista has denied hitting a man tagged in the killing of a Korean woman and raping of three other women, according to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).

CHR chairman Loretta Ann Rosales said it would be premature to file a case for violation of human rights against Bautista until all the facts are clear.

“He denied that he did it. We are just as concerned as he is about the plight of the victims of the suspect,” she said.

Reports earlier said that Bautista lost his cool and punched Mark Soque, 29, at the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) headquarters following his arrest on Thursday.

Police tagged Soque in eight robberies, three rapes and the murder of Mi Kyung Park.

The suspect was arrested at 10:30 a.m. in front of Ever Gotesco mall along Commonwealth Avenue, where he had picked his next target, police said.

Soque owned up to the heists although he denied raping three of his victims and killing Park.

Charges of robbery with homicide, rape, illegal possession of firearms and drugs have been filed against him before the city prosecutor’s office.

Partner in crime hunted

Soque told police that it was his partner in crime — who remains at large — who raped the women and shot Park in the head after she walked into a café they were robbing in Don Antonio Heights, Barangay Holy Spirit on Feb. 9.

Senior Inspector Maricar Taqueban of the QCPD’s public information office said they have launched a manhunt for Soque’s cohort.

Yong Jeung Park, consul and police attaché of the Korean embassy, yesterday lauded the QCPD and the city government for solving Mi Kyung’s case.

He urged Bautista to step up police visibility amid the spate of robberies in the city. He asked the mayor to deploy additional policemen in crime-prone areas.

‘Suspect can file a case’

According to Rosales, Soque can file a case against Bautista if he was indeed hit by the mayor.

She said she believed that Bautista whom she described as a human rights advocate – would not abuse his powers.

Rosales said the CHR has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Quezon City government to make it a model city in terms of protecting human rights.

It was not the first time that Bautista figured in an incident with a suspect arrested by the police.

He was caught on video slapping a suspected drug dealer last year. – Janvic Mateo, Robertzon Ramirez