Night of fun turns sour

A night of fun in Libis, Quezon City ended with two girls being molested and robbed by their male partners, one of them a brother of former professional basketball player Giovanni Pineda, Pasig City police said yesterday.

Policemen are now hunting down Aris Pineda, brother of the ex-cager. The suspect was not at his house at Lumang Palengke in Kapasigan when the men of Senior Superintendent Ernesto Atungal, Pasig City police chief, came to have him arrested.

But one of the suspects, Archie Comate, 19, Pineda’s neighbor, was collared by the raiding team. Comate was positively identified by their two victims Leah Santos, 22, of San Roque, Antipolo City and Marilyn Francisco, 21, a neighbor, as the one who, along with Pineda, offered them a ride round 4 a.m. Sunday.

In their affidavit-complaint, the victims said they went to Libis, Quezon City with some other friends last Saturday.

Santos and Francisco were waiting for a ride home when a dark green Toyota Revo (WFB-686) stopped in front of them. The suspects offered them a ride. "Wala na kasi kaming masakyan kaya napilitan kami maki-hitch," one of the girls said.

But instead of taking them home, the suspects brought them to Pasig City where they were allegedly molested. The victims also claimed their cell phones and wallets were taken by the suspects.

Comate refused to issue a statement regarding the charges against him and Pineda. He is currently detained at the Pasig City police detention center.

Superintendent Tomasito Clet, Pasig police Criminal Investigation Division chief, said they were able to trace the suspects through the information relayed by sources in a bar in Libis, Quezon City

Clet said the Toyota Revo used by the suspects was registered to Giovanni Pineda, a former player of Alaska Milk in the PBA before transferring to the Cebu Gems of the Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA). – Non Alquitran