Sunday, October 07, 2007 It’s over: Vidal on Ejares issue
FOR Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, the issue hounding Fr. Benedicto Ejares should already have ended with the dismissal of the complaint against the priest.
“I thought the case has already ended... But what can we do?” Vidal told reporters.
Cebu Archdiocesan Liaison Officer Msgr. Achilles Dakay also said in an earlier interview that the controversy surrounding Ejares should have been shelved with the dismissal of the complaint.
Vidal was curt in talking to reporters yesterday during his visit at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center.
When asked for his comment on the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 7’s intention to file a motion for reconsideration, Vidal only said, “It’s up to them.”
He also said his office is always open to Ejares if he seeks his advice.
“Depending on the circumstances that we have now,” Vidal said of what they will talk about.
Vidal has yet to see Ejares.
While the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the complaint against Ejares for acts of lasciviousness in relation to the anti-child abuse and anti-sexual harassment laws, the battle is not yet over.
The prosecutors’ resolution drew flak from the public. The DSWD is planning to file a motion for reconsideration.
A motion for inhibition against Fernando Gubalane, the reviewing prosecutor, and Alexander Acosta, the investigating prosecutor, is also planned.
At least 20 students first complained that Ejares, while hearing their confessions during a religious seminar last Nov. 14, touched their arms and toyed with their bra straps.
Seven of the high school students decided to file a complaint against Ejares for acts of lasciviousness, child abuse and sexual harassment. (JGA)
