Since the volunteer nurse, called Florence in media reports, was raped and left for dead in the town of South Upi in Maguindanao in September, only one individual has been linked to the brutal crime: South Upi Vice Mayor Jordan Ibrahim.
The vice mayor naturally has denied the allegations. He has also refused to submit himself to a DNA test, even if a suggestion for the test was made by no less than the secretary of justice. Ibrahim is, in fact, within his right to do this. The country subscribes to the principle of presumption of innocence; the burden of proof lies in the accuser. It could infuriate people who are thirsting for justice, but it also protects the innocent.
This week Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu added his voice to those calling on Ibrahim as well as his brother and two bodyguards to submit themselves to DNA testing. Ibrahim is surely aware that his refusal is reinforcing perceptions of his guilt. But if he is truly guilty, he is unlikely to ever submit himself to a test that provides conclusive evidence of a crime that could put him away for life. And if he is truly guilty, he is not the kind of human being that can be shamed by public condemnation of his refusal to have his DNA tested. A guilty man would flee first before agreeing to that kind of test.
Waiting for Ibrahim to change his mind is a waste of time. Law enforcers should instead do a better job and find evidence that could warrant the arrest and prosecution of whoever was responsible for the crime. Florence was finally discharged recently from the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City, where she had to be transferred for fear that she could be harmed in a Maguindanao hospital. But she continues to suffer from memory loss and paralysis. Law enforcers can pray for her to regain her memory, but beyond that, they must find other ways of pinning down her tormentors.