Rape plaint filed vs anchor

CEBU, Philippines - The National Bureau of Investigation-7 has filed a rape complaint against the broadcaster who allegedly molested a 13-year-old girl last July 4.

The broadcaster was identified as Atty. Joril Patiño, an anchorperson of Brigada News FM station.

"Gi-forward namo ang result sa findings sa investigation sa fiscal. It will be the prosecutor who will conduct a preliminary investigation," said NBI-7 Director Patricio Bernales Jr., in a telephone interview.

The receiving staff at the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office confirmed receiving the information from the NBI, but declined to divulge its content or provide the media a copy of the document since Patiño "remains at-large”.

Patiño refused to issue a statement as he is yet to receive a copy of the complaint.

Meanwhile, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña has raised the reward he offered from P20,000 to P100,000 for those who can give information about the whereabouts of the 13-year-old girl.

Executive Assistant Francisco "Bimbo" Fernandez said Osmeña called him yesterday to inform that the reward money has been increased.

Fernandez said the Cebu City government will coordinate with all local government agencies and security units to locate the girl.

He, however, said the city’s intervention should not be construed as intervening in the rape case.

Last Tuesday afternoon, the child’s parents went to City Hall to seek the assistance to locate her.

“That’s a completely separate case. It’s a pure conjecture nga katong missing nga bata and the case is related. We look at it as a separate case. Pangitaon namo ang bata because she is missing. Whether related siya sa kaso, that is not our concern,” Fernandez said, referring to the rape complaint.

At the Cebu City Police Office, Senior Superintendent Joel Doria encouraged friends and other concerned citizens to come forward and help with the search for the missing girl.

The city police director said they have yet to receive any report on the whereabouts of the girl, assuring confidentiality to those who have knowledge but are concerned of their identity being made public.

Doria said they are not after the reward money that Osmeña has dangled, saying it is their duty as men of the law to look for her.

He said they would start by investigating the last persons she came in contact with in her school.

“Yun ang uunahin natin, at the same time yung possible na kaibigan niya, i-ba-backtrack natin hanggang sa mga informant. Kung ayaw nila na ma-divulge ang identity nila, we can keep it confidential. Hindi naman tayo after sa pabuya, sa atin naman ay makatulong tayo,” he said.

He said they would also closely coordinate with the NBI.

“Tutulungan natin at susuportahan din natin ang NBI, especially duon sa case na hawak nila. Well for sure yung ating kapulisan bibigyan natin ng directives para hanapin yung bata, I’m sure na mabibigyan na man ng hustisya ang nangyari sa kanya” Doria said.

CCPOI would also attempt to recover possible CCTV footage at the area where the incident allegedly happened.

The victim alleged that last July 4, she went to the radio station by herself to look for her mother’s employer who worked there, to ask for money for a school project.

Patiño allegedly attended to her and told her that her mother’s employer was out-of-town.

Upon learning this, the victim alleged she asked for P7 as jeepney fare from the suspect, who instead offered to bring her home in his vehicle.

As alleged, Patiño stopped the car on Zamora Street in Barangay Parian and then forced himself upon the victim, to whom he gave P200 after what he did.

Senior Inspector Dexter Basirgo, Parian Police Station chief, said a medico-legal report showed the victim had lacerations in her private parts, enforcing the complaint that she was indeed raped.

He defended their inability to immediately arrest Patiño or file a complaint, saying that when the victim and her mother came to station on July 12, or eight days after the alleged rape, they were not able to finish taking their testimonies due to unforeseen circumstances.

The following day, personnel from the station’s Women’s and Children’s Protection Desk (WCPD) escorted the victim and her mother to inspect the area where the incident supposedly took place.

Both the mother and the victim, however, did not return to the station after that.

Basirgo said that there was a pre-arranged meeting on July 14 at the WCPD pink room, but both the victim and her mother did not show up.

He said they could not also make any arrest as they could also do a warrantless arrest within three days after an alleged crime. All that they could do is to proceed with the regular filing of a complaint, which required cooperation of the witnesses, victims, and the presence of corroborative evidence. — with Amparo Leah A. Pagusara (FREEMAN)