Boy,16, nabbed for raping girl, 10

CEBU, Philippines - A 16-year-old boy accused of raping a 10-year-old girl in Dalaguete in 2011 was arrested by the Dalaguete police last Tuesday.

The suspect was arrested at his residence by virtue of an arrest warrant for rape signed by Judge Maximo Perez of the Regional Trial Court Branch 26 in Argao.

Insp. Dexter Basirgo, Dalaguete police chief, said that the suspect was only 15 years old when he committed the crime against the victim, a special child who was a fourth grader at that time.

Basirgo, however, could no longer determine the number of times the victim was molested by the suspect.

“Wala na gyud ko kahinumdom ana ug ikapila basta kay gi-abuso ning biktima. (I could not recall the number of times the crime was committed),” Basirgo said in a phone interview.

The victim first informed her teacher about what happened. It was the teacher who informed the mother who eventually sought police assistance.

According to Basirgo, the suspect denied the allegations saying he was wrongfully accused but police were convinced he did the crime since he acted with discernment based on the certificate issued by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Just recently, a 20-year-old man was arrested by the police at his residence in Barangay Gawi, Oslob after he was accused of abducting and raping a 14-year-old girl.

The family of the minor victims traced the whereabouts of Valerio Vequiso by pretending to be a text mate and exchanging text messages with him. This resulted to the suspect’s arrest at his shanty around 11:30 p.m. Monday.

The girl was also found and rescued at the place but the police are now waiting until Friday to release Vequiso for the reglementary period as the family of the minor is hesitant to file a rape case against him.

This, after the minor and Vequiso admitted having a relationship.

The arrest stemmed from the request of the grandmother and mother of the minor who went to the police station and informed authorities that the victim was allegedly abducted by Vequiso at around 9:00 p.m., Sunday.

The family of the victim tried to reach Vequiso through his cellular phone by using another number to know his whereabouts.

Vequiso worked as family driver of the minor’s grandmother for several months before he left last October.

Vequiso however, admitted that something happened between him and the victim.

The victim was taken to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City for medical examination.— /MIT (FREEMAN)