Cop held for sexual harassment

MANILA, Philippines — A policeman was apprehended in Quezon City on Thursday after was he was accused by a colleague, who is a member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community, of sexual harassment.

Executive M/Sgt. Harry Budomo, who is assigned at a police station in Quezon City, is the subject of a complaint from his co-worker, a 36-year-old corporal. According to investigators, Budomo and the corporal had just completed their annual physical fitness test at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig and were on their way back to their office when the first incident of harassment occurred at around 8:25 a.m. Probers said Budomo first asked the corporal about her sexual relationship with her girlfriend, a question that she ignored.

The two boarded Budomo’s vehicle for their trip back to their office in Quezon City.

The corporal told investigators that instead of going back to their station, Budomo brought her to the Madonna Lodge in Bagong Barrio West, Caloocan City.

The corporal said Budomo invited her to check into a room when they arrived at the motel at around 10:30 a.m.

As the suspect alighted from the vehicle, the corporal took out her cell phone and immediately called her cousin for help. When Budomo noticed the corporal calling someone on her phone, he drove the vehicle back to their station.

They were traveling along Quirino Highway in Barangay Sangandaan in Quezon City when they encountered a traffic light. The corporal then jumped out of the vehicle and sought assistance from police officers assigned with the Talipapa police station, who were patrolling the highway.

Budomo was apprehended by the police officers. He faces a complaint of unjust vexation.