Victim is 17-yr-old girl. 8 rape suspects charged

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines - The police have finally filed charges against eight suspects for the gang-rape of a 17-year-old girl during the fiesta of Brgy. Alingasaw in Moises Padilla town recently.

Senior Insp. Robert Mansueto, chief of the Moises Padilla Police, said charges have been filed at the Provincial Prosecutor's Office in Bacolod Wednesday against the suspects who took turns in sexually abusing the victim.

Of the eight suspects, two are CAFGU (Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit) officers, while another was a former CAFGU officer, he said.

The two CAFGU officers, who have been on AWOL (absent without official leave) status, were already terminated from the military service but they will be hunted down when the warrants of arrest are issued against them, Mansueto said.

Based on police investigations, the girl was having a drinking spree with her companions in one table on June 1, but when she went to the restroom, the suspects who were in a nearby table secretly followed her. When they cornered her, they hit her in the stomach and forced her to come with them to a secluded place where they sexually abused her, the reports said.

Mansueto also confirmed reports that the victim was left naked by the suspects and she fell into a shallow cliff when she tried to seek for help. He alleged that while the victim was shouting for help as she was being dragged by the suspects, nobody in the area tried to help her as those who saw them were relatives of the suspects.

Earlier there were only six suspects because the identity of the two other suspects could not be established, and filing charges against "John Does" are no longer allowed, Mansueto explained. Further investigations were able to reveal the identity of the two suspects, he said.

Mansueto also disclosed that the victim will be transferred from the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Moises Padilla to a crisis center in Bacolod after the family of the victim received threats allegedly from the suspects. – THE FREEMAN