32 counts of rape filed vs ex-professor

ANGELES CITY , Philippines  – The Department of Justice has formally charged a former professor of the Holy Angel University here with a total of 32 counts of rape of his underaged female student and is now a subject of two arrest warrants, including one that refuses him bail.

A resolution signed by Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño and Assistant State Prosecutor Miguel Guido Jr., who is also the chairman of the DOJ’s Task Force on Women and Children Protection, also criminally charged the university registrar and two other professors with unjust vexation in relation to the cases.

The resolution identified the suspects as former university professor Arnel Atienza who is now facing 32 counts of rape and HAU registrar Jesus Panlilio and professors Leandro Sanchez and Elinor Torres who were charged with unjust vexation.

“After a careful study of the records and allegations of parties, the undersigned prosecutor finds probable cause to criminally indict respondents Ocampo, Sanchez, Torres and Panlilio,” the DOJ resolution said.

Regional Trial Court Branch 59 Judge Ma. Angelica Paras-Quiambao issued yesterday warrants for the arrest of the suspects. The two arrest warrants against Ocampo included one that does not allow bail, and another that allows bail worth P250,000.

A university official told The Star that a statement was being prepared yesterday by school officials but it was apparently not finished immediately.

The cases stemmed from a complaint filed before the DOJ on Feb. 13 by a former female student of the university, who was still a minor when the alleged rapes occurred, and her parents through their lawyer Jeffrey Zarate.

The victim claimed in her complaint that Ocampo allegedly first raped her in October 2006 when she was only 16 years old. She had been a student in the suspect’s English class.

Pattern of abuse

The complaint said that “Ocampo follows a pattern of abuse against his female students who are in the age of minority.”

“He is a ‘serial offender’ who is very methodical and deliberate. First, he uses his position as teacher, bestowed with moral ascendancy among students, to get close to his prey. Then he conditions the minds of his potential victims, as he slowly tears apart their moral defenses,” the complaint said.

It also said that “thru his influence and manipulation, he (Ocampo) slowly and relentlessly seduces them to experiment his sexual sins, while he deflects our attention toward the physical pleasures rather than the shamefulness of the act.”

The unjust vexation cases against Panlilio and the two other professors were based on allegations that they allegedly intimidated the victim during one of the hearings of the university’s board on the rape case.

In their complaint, the victim and her parents said Panlilio “should be held criminally liable for unjust vexation for unjustly preventing [the victim] from seeing or consulting her parents during the university’s hearing conducted on Sept. 30, 2008 concerning her complaint against respondent Ocampo.”

The RTC sought the help of the National Bureau of Investigation and the Criminal Investigation Command in the arrest of Ocampo.

The victim’s father also cited reports that Ocampo had also abused other students during his stint at the Magalang Institute in Magalang, Pampanga. “They were afraid to come out because of threats and lack of means to sue him,” he said.