Child porn rap adds to Bella Ruby's woes

CEBU, Philippines - The Children’s Legal Bureau yesterday filed another criminal complaint against Bella Ruby Santos, who is wanted for kidnapping with homicide, at the Naga City Prosecutor’s Office for alleged child pornography.

Lawyer Joan Dymphna Saniel filed the complaint for violation of the Republic Act 9775 otherwise known as the Anti-Child Pornography Act against Santos based on an empty Compact Disc covers with naked pictures of minors.

The empty cover of porn CD was recovered by the police during the search of Santos’ house in Barangay Inayagan Naga last March.

“The disc covers were among the items seized by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group from Santos’ house in Barangay Inayagan, Naga City in a search last March 4,” Saniel said.

Defense lawyer Rameses Villagonzalo said the complaint filed by the CLB was “baseless”.

“They know the recovered empty porn compact disc cover is not from Bella it was from the CIDG,” Villagonzalo said.

The empty porn CD covers were part of the items that then Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Mienrado Paredes earlier ordered to be returned to Santos together with the Mitsubishi Pajero, hair strands, Local Area Network cord, Nintendo DS game cartridge, rug, sex toys, waiver and assorted IDs and passport, and two stones.

It was however retained by the CIDG after Renante Pique, father of six-year-old Ellah Joy, filed a motion for partial reconsideration which was granted by the court.

Pique and his lawyer argued that they will be using these items as evidence in the kidnapping with homicide case against Santos and her British boyfriend Ian Charles Griffiths.

Santos and Griffiths are currently in hiding after the court ordered their arrest over Ellah Joy’s death.

Meanwhile, CIDG lawyer Inocencio dela Cerna vows to file criminal charges for obstruction of justice against those who will be giving false information about the whereabouts of Santos.

“It is a very serious issue and if whoever hides Santos’ whereabouts will be facing an obstruction of justice because they are misleading the police officers,” Dela Cerna said. (FREEMAN)