Minor raped during X'mas, New Year

A thirteen-year-old grade six pupil who was raped on several occasions since last year allegedly by the man whom she treated to be her uncle, decided to report the incident to her relatives just two days ago.

The girl who lives in barangay Carreta, Cebu City identified the suspect as Jay Villacarlos dela Cruz, 37, a native of Medellin town and presently residing at the said barangay.

The victim told The FREEMAN at the office of Carreta barangay captain Marciano Ando that she could no longer remember that first incident when she was raped by Dela Cruz but managed to recall five incidents that happened after.

The girl said the second time she was abused was in February last year, then she was raped again on the 8th of May and the fourth was in the morning of December 25.

The last time she was raped before she confided the incident first to her brother and then to her other relatives, was last January 1.

The suspect reportedly would always threaten to kill her if she would tell anyone about it. But two days after the New Year, the girl finally confided the matter to her brother who helped report her agony to the barangay hall.

The chief of barangay tanods, Andres Casas, accompanied by some female barangay hall employees and tanods checked the suspect's whereabouts and learned he is working as a carpenter in Lagtang, Talisay City.

Casas and barangay captain Ando said they sought the assistance of the Talisay City Police in the arrest of the suspect, but were reportedly told instead that such could not be possible since the suspect was not caught in the act.

Despite the refusal of Talisay City policemen to cooperate, Casas and his group went to Dela Cruz's workplace and took the suspect to the Waterfront Police station for filing of charges.

A medical examination on the victim confirmed that she was indeed sexually abused.

The suspect when interviewed by The FREEMAN vehemently denied the accusation claiming that he was "surprised at the victim's actuation tagging him as the one who raped her, when he treated her as his own daughter."

Dela Cruz suspects the victim might just be angry with him because he scolded her several times for getting home late in spite of his warnings. - Edwin Ian Melecio/MEEV