Saturday, February 03, 2007 2 more students sign affidavit v. priest
TWO more high school students have stepped forward to execute affidavits against a priest who allegedly made inappropriate physical contact while hearing confession in a seminar in school.
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) special investigator Jed Hife took down the statements of the two, who were among those who attended the Life in the Spirit seminar at the Abellana National High School.
The names of the students are being withheld because of their age and the nature of their complaint. But sources said their testimony corroborated those earlier made by the other complainants.
The students reported to the NBI after getting subpoenaed. Hife, in a separate interview, said more affidavit-complaints are expected.
The Abellana National High School administration gave the NBI the names of all the students who took part in the seminar. Each student, Hife said, will be summoned.
The submission of the list, in turn, was in compliance with a subpoena duces tecum NBI Regional Director Medardo de Lemos issued.
The NBI is still withholding the name of the priest but his identity has already been established.
Two students—the first a complainant and the other a witness—identified him from an NBI clearance photo.
The priest’s NBI clearance was dated Oct. 5, 2006. He secured one from the NBI Central Visayas office to comply with requirements for a recent trip to Hong Kong. (KNR)
