MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police on Friday said it tends to believe that the neophyte Manila cop accused of raping a 15-year-old daughter of drug suspects committed the crime despite his repeated denials.
Hours after a couple was arrested during a sting operation in Manila last month, Police Officer 1 Eduardo Valencia was nabbed when relatives of the drug suspects told authorities that the rookie cop sexually abused the pair’s daughter.
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But Valencia strongly denied the allegations and asserted that such charges against police operatives “are not new,” implying the allegation is payback for the drug operation.
In an interview over ANC’s “Headstart,” PNP spokesperson Police Senior Superintendent Benigno Durana said the force considers the embattled cop’s statement as his “alibi.”
“Fifteen years old you know will not embarrass herself before the public. So, we are inclined to believe that that incident really happened,” Durana said.
But the PNP spokesman also stressed: “While we want to give due process to the drug suspects, we should also likewise give due process to our police personnel.”
Valencia’s arrest came amid recent opinion polls showing growing distrust of the police force and unease with their conduct of President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly drug war, which has killed thousands of mostly urban, poor Filipinos.
Human rights monitors say most of the fatalities in the government’s anti-narcotic drive are extrajudicial killings committed by cops, something the Duterte administration vehemently rejects.
According to reports, Valencia offered to give the victim a ride home. But he took her to a hotel in Sta. Mesa where he allegedly raped the girl.
The policeman also allegedly promised to release the teen’s parents in exchange for sex.
Authorities said a medical examination showed there was laceration in the minor’s private parts, indicating that she was sexually abused.
The Manila Police District has already formalized the filing of rape charges against Valencia before the city prosecutor’s office. — Ian Nicolas Cigaral