2 fall for abduction of student

CEBU, Philippines - The abduction of a 16-year-old college student was true based on the reconstruction of the incident conducted by the police together with the victim, said the head of the Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force.

RATTF chief, Senior Insp. Ma. Theresa Macatangay, said they even arrested two men, who were positively identified by the victim as the same people who were in the area where she was raped.

“The victim was with us when we conducted the reconstruction. Gitudlo niya asa miagi, asang dana sila ninglusot, hantod naabot siya sa area,” Macatangay told The FREEMAN.

Macatangay said they started from Naga City where last Wednesday's abduction took place until they reached in a farmhouse in Barangay Pung-ol Sibugay, Cebu City, through the landmarks remembered and items described by the victim.

"Ang wa niya malimtan ang trophy sa manok. Pag-abot namo sa farmhouse, naa gyu'y trophy sa manok," she said, referring to the farmhouse where the rape allegedly took place.

There, Macatangay said they were able to arrest suspects Jojo Gimarangan and Joey Dela Cruz, both 19, who were reportedly in the area as another man took her inside the farmhouse.

"Nakuyapan pa gani actually ang victim pag-identify, nikurog siya og balik," said Macatangay.

Gimarangan and Dela Cruz, both natives of Negros Occidental, work as errand boys of the farmhouse's owner. They will be considered accessories to the crime, Macatangay said.

Macatangay said the victim was shown a photo of the man who occupied the farmhouse and she identified him as the one who abducted and raped her. The RATTF chief said they are now looking for him.

The victim, a student in one of the universities in Cebu City, managed to escape from her captor and reached the South Road Properties in Barangay Tangke, Talisay City, where she was found by a traffic enforcer who took her to the police station.

"Didto siya mi-end up after so many hours of walking nga wa na siya kahibaw ba unsa iyang buhaton," said Macatangay.

The RATTF chief said the abductor uses illegal drugs.

"Siguro because sa ilang kasabog or being under the influence of that substance, trip lang g'yud siguro 'to nila," she said.

Macatangay further said they are also looking for the two other women who were also abducted by the alleged perpetrator as revealed by the victim. She also called on women who have been victimized by the alleged perpetrator to file a report with the police.

"Right now, this very brave lady, gitabangan gyud ang pulis. She went out of her way gyud maski na-trauma pa to really get justice," she said.

Gimarangan and Dela Cruz denied any involvement in the abduction and rape incident, although Gimarangan said he did see the abductor take the victim into his farmhouse last Wednesday evening.

"Wala na mi kahibaw unsa ilang gibuhat sa sulod. Didto mi adto sa gawas kay tigbantay man mi diha sa mga manok," he said.  BRP (FREEMAN)