Woman raped at skywalk

CEBU, Philippines – It was raining hard in barangay Pajo, Lapu-Lapu City midnight of Monday when four men allegedly high on drugs robbed and raped a 28-year-old woman who was on her way to a relative's house.

The woman's plan that day was to spend the night at a relative's house in Lapu-Lapu City and join the relative in paying respects to departed family members at a cemetery the following day, police said.

She however did not make it to the relative's house in the early hours because she had visited another relative who was confined at a hospital.

It was already midnight and raining when she reached Pajo.

To steer clear of the rain, the woman, who hails from Capitol Site in Cebu City and works as a consultant for a realty firm, took the unlit flyover where four men were allegedly drinking and taking drugs.

The men, one of them armed, blocked her path and grabbed her cellular phone and money amounting to P500.

And then they took turns in raping her, one of them gagging her with the grip of his gun.

After the men had fled, the woman went to the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office, which was just 150 meters away from the skywalk where the crime was committed, to seek help.

The woman recognized one of her violators in the Rogues' Gallery.

Immediately the police went to work, picked up Christopher Antig, 18, of barangay Pusok, Lapu-Lapu City who later on identified his companions as Jardin Rex, 19, who is Antig's neighbor, Ryan Ramirez, 19, of sitio Seaweeds in barangay Matumbo, and a certain "Yeye" of barangay Pusok, Lapu-Lapu.

The three men are at large.

A case of robbery with multiple rapes was filed against Antig and his cohorts yesterday. (FREEMAN)