Ex-cop’s nephew accused of molesting 15-year-old girl

A 15-year-old girl narrowly escaped rape in a shopping mall in Muntinlupa City when concerned citizens came to her aid late Wednesday.

The girl, identified only as "Amber," said suspect Federico Diaz III, 29, allegedly grabbed her in a mall in Alabang and took her to a movie theater where he groped her.

Diaz’s uncle, a retired Philippine National Police official, later tried to intimidate the girl to prevent her from filing charges when the suspect was detained at the police precinct.

According to her sworn statement to the police, Amber, a sophomore student of the Dr. Arcadio Santos National High School in Parañaque City, was malling alone at the Metropolis shopping center when Diaz approached her and tried to strike up a conversation with her at around 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Diaz, 29, a chemist at ACS Manufacturing Corp. and a resident of Teresa Village, Quezon City, approached her at the second floor of the shopping mall "and tried to make friends with me."

Once at the Muntinlupa City Police Precinct 2, Diaz allegedly threatened Amber and the officers on the case, as well as boasted that his uncle was a retired PNP official and that Iba, Zambales Rep. Antonio Diaz was a relative of his.

Amber said she gave Diaz her cellular phone number "para tigilan na niya ako (so he would leave me alone)." However, the suspect continued to follow Amber around and, at some point, took hold of her hand and intimidated her into going to watch the suspense movie "Wag Ka Lilingon" with him.

According to Amber’s sworn statement, Diaz brought her to the last row of seats in the cinema, where he groped her breasts and opened her denim pants and put his hand inside her underwear to grope her genitals. The suspect also allegedly forced Amber to touch his penis.

"When we were seated he began embracing me. I kept pushing his hands away but he kept putting them back on me, then he held my arms in a tight grip and tried to kiss me but I blocked his mouth with my hand," Amber said in her statement.

Not satisfied with groping Amber in the moviehouse, Diaz allegedly insisted on going to the Sogo motel to have sex with Amber, who refused.

Amber said she did not scream while Diaz was molesting her inside the cinema "because I was afraid he would hurt me."

"Sinagot ko siya na ayoko (I answered no to him)," Amber said in her statement, though she also said she saw an opportunity for escape in Diaz’s proposition. "I suddenly thought that this may be an opportunity to escape, so I said, ‘okay, let’s go."

Amber said she and Diaz left the moviehouse and the Metropolis shopping mall and that Diaz went to buy condoms at a nearby Mini-Stop grocery, allowing her to stay outside.

"When I saw he had entered (the convenience store), I ran," she said. "I wanted to return to Metropolis to get the bags I left at Robinson’s (baggage counter), but I didn’t because (my assailant) might follow me there, so I ran into a sidestreet and looked for a place to hide."

Concerned citizens saw Amber and, noticing her distress, came to her aid. Lloyd Reynante, an enlisted man of the Philippine Navy, and Anthony Capistrano assisted Amber and eventually made a citizen’s arrest when the suspect grabbed Amber again.

Reynante and Capistrano said in their sworn statements that they offered to escort Amber back to the Metropolis mall so she could claim the baggage she had left at the Robinson’s supermarket baggage counter and assured her that they would let no harm come to her after she told them that she had just been molested and was afraid the suspect was still in the vicinity.

"We accompanied (Amber) to Robinson’s supermarket in Metropolis (mall) so she could claim her bags," Reynante and Capistrano said. "She was very, very afraid."

According to the two concerned citizens, Amber was walking ahead of them when she suddenly rushed back to them and told them Diaz was there and pointed to the suspect.

"We told her to keep walking and, if (Diaz) was to try anything strange, we would help her," the two said in their sworn statement.

They said that while Amber was walking, "the man (Amber) said had harassed her approached her. We saw him grab hold of (Amber)."

"We approached them and asked (Diaz) what his relation to Amber was and why she was so afraid of him," Reynante and Capistrano said. "The man (Diaz) did not answer, he just shook his head. Two (mall) security guards arrived and brought us to the security office to record the incident in their blotter."

The suspect, victim, Reynante and Capistrano were then turned over to police precinct by the Metropolis security office, where the case was brought before the precinct’s Women’s and Children’s Desk.

Diaz’s father and namesake arrived at the police station and both father and son threatened Amber and her aunt with retribution unless they refrained from filing charges against the suspect.

"Sabi nila, babalikan daw nila kami (They said they would get back at us)," Amber said.

As of press time, the suspect is out on bail pending the filing of child abuse and acts of lasciviousness charges against him.