Left for dead

Police arrested an aircon technician hours after he and his companion, in a drunken rampage, raped and almost killed the six-year-old daughter of his employer inside a public cemetery in Pasig City.

The suspect, Restuto Barios, 21, of Baltazar Street, Barangay Nagpayong, claimed he and his companion, a certain George, had wanted to smash the child’s face with a rock but decided against it at the last minute. He said they left the victim, thinking she was already dead.

"Babagsakan sana namin ng bato sa mukha subalit wala kaming makitang bato kaya’t tumakas na lang kami," Barios told reporters at his detention cell in Pasig City.

Senior Superintendent Ernesto Catungal, Pasig City police chief, said Barios was arrested based on the revelation of the victim before she collapsed Tuesday night. He gave himself up peacefully to responding policemen who rushed to his residence.

Catungal said barangay watchmen found the victim walking helplessly and crying for help inside the public cemetery in Barangay Caniogan at about 7 p.m. Her private parts were bleeding profusely . The girl also had injuries in the body and neck.

Before the girl was taken to the Pasig City General Hospital, she told tanods that Barios was one of her attackers.

Initial investigation showed that Barios and a companion were seen drinking liquor inside a public market in Barangay Caniogan at about 6:00 p.m. After downing several bottles of liquor, the duo decided go home using Barios’ pedicab.

Along the way the suspects met the victim who was walking home. The duo offered her a ride, which she accepted. The girl knew Barios since he works at her father’s aircon repair shop. She is a daughter of a Filipino-Chinese businessman.

Instead of driving the girl home, however, Barios drove straight to the nearby cemetery. They took the victim to the barracks where they took turns raping her.

In her hospital bed, the victim told the police that it was George who first abused her, followed by Barios. She said she lost consciousness, waking up later to find that her attackers had left .