Man indicted for "seducing" girlfriend

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office has indicted a man for two counts of simple seduction in lieu of a rape case that his 14-year-old girlfriend has filed against him.

Associate prosecution lawyer Arnulfo Amodia found probable cause and recommended to charge Pedro Sorillo before the Regional Trial Court. The case stemmed from the two counts of rape complaints filed by his minor-girlfriend in barangay Tapul, Tabogon town.

Sorillo was accused by his girlfriend of allegedly raping her on November 2 and on December 7 of last year. The complainant admitted though that the accused is her boyfriend.

The complainant said she accompanied her mother to her employer on November 2 in the evening. But since her mother’s employer was not yet around, she went ahead in going home.

The accused met the complainant and allegedly forced her into the bushes where she was raped. Another incident followed in December 7 where she was warned by the accused not to tell anyone of what happened.

However, stories on the two incidents have already spread out in their community prompting her to confide to her elder brother. The family of the complainant reported the incident to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, thus, the filing of the two counts of rape.

Sorillo denied the accusations claiming that he and the complainant are “sweethearts”. He said that “if something intimate happened between him and his girlfriend, there was no force applied”.

Sorillo said in his counter-affidavit that “if indeed something happened between them, it was because of their love, romance and affection”. The accused said he is sincere with his intentions towards the complainant.

In fact, he said he will marry her when the time comes that she is already in the right age. Although the prosecutor did not find probable cause to indict Sorillo for rape because the complainant is a minor, the accused was held liable for two counts of simple seduction.

Amodia ruled that the marriage promised by the accused to the victim constitutes deceit considering that the complainant is underage. — Fred P. Languido/MEEV (THE FREEMAN)