Court convicts man for rape

CEBU, Philippines - The Regional Trial Court has convicted a man for allegedly raping the girlfriend of his cousin in 2009.

In his eight-page decision, Judge Simeon Dumdum held Eugene Saguisabal, a resident of Lapu-Lapu City, guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of rape.

“The court is inclined to believe victim’s account, which is more believable that that of the accused,” the decision reads, adding the victim’s testimony against the Saguisabal was “straightforward and unbending.”

Dumdum sentenced Saguisabal to imprisonment of 20 to 40 years and ordered him to pay the victim P180,000 for civil indemnity, moral damages and exemplary damages.

On November 1, 2009, at around 5 p.m., the victim said she and her boyfriend were at Uling Cemetery in Naga City.

At around 11 p.m. they proceeded to the house of her boyfriend in Gaway-gaway but stopped at a nipa hut to talk.

However, moments later, two of her boyfriend’s cousins, a certain Roger and Saguisabal, appeared and told that her boyfriend’s parents were looking for him. Her boyfriend decided to bring her home but the two cousins advised him not to do so.

Roger then volunteered to bring the victim home. However, instead of taking her home, Roger reportedly brought her to Barangay Lanas and asked her to have sex with him.

The victim said she was able to get away from Roger and ran towards the highway where she saw Saguisabal whom she asked for help. However, instead of helping her, she was dragged to a school building in Lanas where she was allegedly rape.

PO3 Romeo Bolaño of the Naga Police Station said the victim reported the incident on November 2, accompanied by their barangay captain. This led to the arrest of Saguisabal.

Saguisabal denied raping the victim, saying he had sex with her with her consent.

But with the foregoing facts, Dumdum ruled to convict Saguisabal.

Dumdum said the victim’s “demeanor when she narrated her ordeal before the court was that of a simple woman who desired justice no matter if this exposed her to embarrassment.” —Mylen P. Manto/ATO (FREEMAN)