Student in video asks NBI: Identify culprit

CEBU CITY -- To stop a sex video from circulating and identify who uploaded it on the Internet, the woman in the clip asked for the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) help Friday morning.

Marie (not her real name) was accompanied by her mother; Fr. Amado Bolilia, the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) vice president for academics; lawyer Jesus Velez, the student affairs director; and lawyer Elaine Bathan, the assistant dean of the college of law.

“The mother… really wants to pin down the perpetrator, the one who uploaded the video in the social networking sites,” Fr. Bolilia told reporters.

A 2009 law against photo or video voyeurism punishes culprits with a fine of P100,000 to P500,000 or a jail term of three to seven years. Both penalties may also be imposed, but the challenge lies in identifying those who made the materials public or copied them.

Fr. Bolilia said the student and her mother decided to approach the NBI, which they believe has the technology to track down the person.

Preventing the copying and sale of the video will put a closure to the controversy, he also said.

“If they will still ask for our assistance, we are more than willing to assist (with her) psychological, clinical, and academic needs,” he said. “We will gladly offer our services.”

Fr. Bolilia also thanked University of Cebu (UC) Chancellor Candice Gotianuy for calling on UC’s students to show respect to USJ-R and to take a stand against bullying.

Marie and her companions arrived in the NBI-Central Visayas office past 10 a.m. Friday. They did not pass through the entrance so as not to attract attention from people who were getting their clearances.

NBI-Central Visayas Director Antonio Pagatpat said he assigned agents Rey Villordon and Greg Algoso to handle the case and are requesting the Department of Justice (DOJ) to help them.

“We will do everything within our limited resources makatulong lang tayo (in order to help),” he said.

Meanwhile, lawyer Inocencio dela Cerna said he will no longer represent the student and that the USJ-R legal team took over the case.

He is glad the student was allowed by the university administration to graduate next month. (KAL/Sun.Star Cebu)