Wednesday, September 26, 2007 Man accused of raping stepdaughter By Rhodamae M. Hernandez
POLICE arrested a 34-year-old man accused of raping his 11-year-old stepdaughter in their house in Agdao.
The suspect identified as Ariel (name withheld to protect the victim) was arrested by barangay councilman Raul Laping and other barangay officials at around 6 p.m. of September 24.
The suspect was then endorsed at the Sta. Ana police station where he is undergoing interrogation by the Women and Children's Protection Desk. The girl is one of four children of Ariel's wife by her first husband.
Ariel said his wife left home last week for Manila to look for work.
He denied the story told by his stepdaughter that he raped her last Saturday inside their house.
"Nisumbong na siya sa silingan nga sakit daw i-ihi kay gi-rape daw nako siya. Basi'g naigo ra to sa bunal kay gibunalan man nako na'g maayo og bakus atong Sabado kay hapit na alas 11 sa gabii niuli. Wa gyud nako na hilabti (She told a neighbor that she had difficulty urinating because her vagina hurts after I raped her. Maybe the reason why she is hurting is because I spanked her last Saturday when she went home at almost 11 p.m., but I never raped her)," Ariel said in an interview.
"Naay nakadungog mga silingan nga nisyagit ang bata kay gibunalan pero wala nako gi-rape (Neighbors heard her shout but that was because I spanked her, not raped her)," Ariel added.
The police are going to have the child examined by a physician.
Ariel said that if the girl will insist she was raped, he has no other recourse but to face the charges.
"Kung ana man gani, dawaton na lang. Ang pait lang kay sa iyang kalaagan kung lain ang nakahilabot unya ako'y maduot (If that happens, then I will just have to face it. The problem here is what if because of her staying out late someone else has indeed raped her and now she's putting the blame on me)."
