SHE’S ALIVE, WELL
MISSING ‘RAPE VICTIM’ SURFACES
The 13-year-old girl was staying with her aunt in Mandaue City after she was reported missing last Friday. Radio dyHP staff tracked her down after she posted a photo on her account in a social networking site. The accused, Juril Patiño, welcomed the filing of charges against him, said he will answer them in court.
Her social media photos pointed to her location, says broadcasters who found her
After being missing for six days, the 13-year-old girl who accused a lawyer-broadcaster of rape was found in her aunt’s house in Barangay Umapad, Mandaue City on midnight yesterday.
The girl was traced by broadcast journalists of radio station dyHP headed by Atty. Ruphil Bañoc when she logged on Facebook.
“She posted a picture, so when our staff enlarged it, they were able to identify the location and it was in Mandaue,” Bañoc said.
Bañoc turned over the girl to Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak, deputy mayor on police matters, in the radio station yesterday morning.
Angel, (not her real name), reportedly went missing last Friday at 2 p.m. in the pink room of a public hospital where she was accompanied by her mother for psychological consultations.
They were escorted by the National Bureau of Investigation, but the agents left for lunch and reportedly did not return, leaving Angel in the hospital lobby.
The NBI 7 filed rape charges at the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office against lawyer-broadcaster Juril Patiño who Angel alleged was the one who raped her inside his car on Zamora St., Barangay Parian last July 4.
“It will be up to the prosecutor’s office to appreciate the investigation report we forwarded to them because we already recommended the case,” lawyer Patricio Bernales Jr., NBI-7 director, said.
“Para sa amo, okay na. Dili lang okay na, naa tay kaso (For us, it’s okay. Not just okay, but we do have a case),” Bernales added.
Tumulak said they will still convene to decide on who will get the reward of P100,000 that Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña offered for anyone who can pinpoint Angel’s whereabouts.
Bañoc told reporters that he and the radio station will decline the reward if ever it will be given to them.
Tumulak said the custody of the teenager will still be decided.
“We will discuss that internally. We cannot divulge publicly because we should also respect the rights of the family, daghan kaayog manghilabot (many will intrude),” Tumulak said.
He warned netizens to refrain from making harsh comments against the victim and the accused until the court comes up with a decision.
In an interview with radio station dySS, Patiño denied the allegations against him.
“Ako mismo wa ko magbuhat anang gipasangil nako nga seryoso nga alegasyon batok kanako. Mao ra gyud na akoa ug na- shock ko nga miabot sa punto nga naay namasangil nako nga ingon ana (I didn’t do what they accuse me of doing. All I can say is that I’m shocked that it reached a point that someone would accuse me of something like that),” Patiño said.
The lawyer said the filing of charges against him was a welcome development, so that he can answer them in court.
Angel’s mother said that her family won’t back out.
“Padayunon gyud nako. Mangita gyud kog hustisya sa akong anak (I will pursue it. I want justice for my daughter),” she said. /