Man faces charges for child molestation

A 21-YEAR-OLD man faces charges before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) for allegedly molesting a 15-year-old girl.

Charged with violation of Republic Act 7610 otherwise known as The Anti-Child Abuse was Zyrone Rois Manansala of Tahimik Drive in Davao City.

Prosecutor Stella Esparagoza-Camino found probable cause to charge the accused based on the complaint filed by the victim's parents before the City Prosecutor's Office.

Court records showed that on December 25, 2012, while the complainants were in Butuan City, they discovered that their daughter was already missing.

Last February 6, the complainants received a report from their son that the victim was seen with a man later known to be Manansala.

The mother of the victim contacted on February 8 the mother of the accused, who happened to be her friend. She was told by Manansala's mother that her daughter was indeed living in with her son.

The mother of the accused told her friend to fetch the victim when the latter's mother threatened them to report the incident before the National Bureau of Immigration (NBI) Davao Region and sued them in court.

The complainants took their daughter on February 9 and brought her at a recovery center in Lanang for medical checkup. It was learned that their daughter was positive for illegal drugs, following tests conducted on her.

"It was also learned through the netbook of the victim her sex video with the accused running for almost 40 minutes. The video was submitted before the prosecution by the NBI Davao Region personnel," Esparagoza-Camino, in her resolution, said.

Based on the evidence, the prosecution found probable cause to charge the accused "since it appears that the accused took advantage of the victim's innocence."

Meanwhile, the prosecution dismissed the charges of rape filed against the accused considering it is not clearly established from the video that the victim was forced to have sex with the accused. (ICT)