Ombudsman steps into ‘rape’ of 17-year-old Cebu student

CEBU CITY — The police and medical staff of the Cebu City Medical Center may find themselves in hot water after the Office of the Ombudsman stepped into the alleged rape of a 17-year-old student of the Don Sergio Osmeña Sr. National High School.

This, after Ronald Yap, a friend of the alleged rape victim, claimed that both the Pardo police and the hospital staff refused to provide immediate assistance and attention to the girl.

The other day, Ombudsman director Virginia Palanca Santiago ordered the case docketed for inquiry upon learning about Yap’s allegation that the Pardo police instead told the girl to first secure a medical certificate before they could make any move to arrest the suspects.

Yap also alleged that the city hospital’s staff failed to immediately attend to the victim. It was not until four hours later that they allegedly took cognizance by asking the victim to first buy a pair of rubber gloves and a pregnancy test kit to be used in her examination, he further alleged.

Pardo police chief Mariano Natuel admitted that his men failed to immediately go after the suspects but explained this was because the victim herself was still in a state of shock and could not provide a coherent narrative of what happened.

Santiago said the victim will not have to issue a formal statement to substantiate the allegations against the Pardo police and the city hospital’s staff.

Police have arrested at least one suspect, a certain Leonardo Gequilan, a 21-year-old senior Customs Administration student who lives in the house where the alleged rape took place. A complaint for rape was filed against him the other day.

The victim herself identified Gequilan as one of her two alleged attackers.

The victim is a resident of Punta Princesa but the alleged rape, she said, took place in a house in Basak.

She recalled in an affidavit taken by police officer Ian Carl Samson of the city police’s women’s desk, that she had a drinking session with Gequilan and some friends and that when she got drunk, Gequilan allegedly dragged her to his room.

The girl said Gequilan and one of his friends forced themselves upon her inside the room.

She claimed that she begged for mercy, but Gequilan instead allegedly hit her on the head. — Freeman News Service