Liloan’s most wanted falls

Liloan town's most wanted, a man accused of rape, was nabbed in his house last Saturday evening in Barangay Jubay, Liloan.

Edgardo Ruelo, 50, a businessman, was arrested via the warrant of arrest issued last July 2017 by Judge Maria Lynna Adviento of Regional Trial Court Branch 28 in Cebu City.

Liloan policemen, joined by personnel of the Tabuelan police, went to Barangay Jubay after receiving a report that the suspect was home. There they arrested the suspect who has reportedly been eluding them for several months.

Chief Inspector Randy Korret, Liloan police chief, said that Ruelo topped their new list of most wanted personalities after they were able to arrest all the personalities in their previous list.

Korret said Ruelo's alleged victim was a native of Tabuelan town, hence they also coordinated with them about the operation.

“Tina-track namin ang location niya tapos nagconduct agad kami ng operation,” said Korret.

Ruelo is now detained in the Liloan police station, no bail was recommended for his temporary release.

Meanwhile, a man was convicted for raping a 12-year-old girl, resulting in her pregnancy and giving birth at 13.

Judge Ester Veloso of the Regional Trial Court Branch 6 in Cebu City held accused, a cousin of the victim's father, guilty beyond reasonable doubt for rape despite the latter's claim he and the victim had consensual sex.

The FREEMAN is withholding the names of the parties due to the nature of the case.

"The contention of the accused that the sex between him and (victim) was consensual is of no moment. Granting arguendo that this was true, the court cannot absolve him for what he did. A child cannot give consent to a contract under our civil laws, this is on the rationale that she can easily be the victim of fraud as she is not capable of fully understanding or knowing the nature or import of her actions," the decision read.

"She (the doctor) testified that pregnancy of a 13-year-old was tantamount to sexual abuse and that children of this age normally did not have sexual desires and knowledge as their brains were not yet fully developed. They did not know how to use the kind of information they may have found from other sources," the decision further read.

In her testimony, the victim alleged she was raped by the accused inside their house in Minglanilla town, two weeks after they arrived from Boracay in May 2007. She said she resisted but was overpowered by the accused who threatened her if she told anyone what happened.

She said she did not know she was pregnant. Although she noticed something unusual in her body, she believed that she was just having irregular menstruation.

After learning she was pregnant following a checkup, she stopped going to school and had home study.

In his defense, the accused claimed there was no force, threat, and intimidation when the incident happened – it was consensual, thus negating the elements of rape.

Prior to that incident, he alleged the victim had been sexually teasing him for a long time. While he was sleeping in the room he shared with the victim's brother, the victim allegedly lay beside him and kissed him. After that, sex allegedly took place.

"He had mixed emotions, scared and frightened but he also felt pleasure. He just went on with it and had sex with her because he could no longer resist her," his testimony read.

With the foregoing facts, Veloso ruled to convict the accused. She said no woman, least of all a child, would concoct a story and subject herself to public trial.

"It is settled jurisprudence that testimonies of child-victims are given full weight and credit, since when a woman or a girl-child says that she has been raped, she says in effect all that is necessary to show that rape was indeed committed," the decision read.

Veloso sentenced accused 20 to 40 years in prison without eligibility for parole and to pay P225,000 in damages to the victim with interest of six percent per annum until fully paid.