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Wednesday, April 07, 2004
Another abuse charge raised v. Sonny
CEBU CITY -- A 32-year-old Cebuano went to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 7 Tuesday night and alleged that Sen. John Osmeņa sexually molested him years before.
Collin I. Laxamana told CIDG 7 that he came forward because he was supporting the complaint of self-confessed callboy Diego Gomez, 24, who filed a complaint of rape against the reelectionist senator in Tagaytay City.
Senator Osmeņa, in a brief press statement faxed to Sun.Star, branded the new controversy as "malicious and repugnant".
Without mentioning names, the statement said, "This is just another attempt by some elements who are scared of certain matters which may come to the attention of the next Senate. They would do everything to pressure anyone and everyone to conform to their line of thinking. Should such pressure fail, then they would resort to such vilification, which might have been merely ridiculous if it were not so malicious and repugnant."
It added: "The voters know better and will not allow this type of propaganda to go unpunished."
According to a CIDG 7 blotter report, Laxamana stated that he lodged a complaint against Osmeņa for alleged acts of lasciviousness committed sometime in 1992 in Metro Manila.
Anchormen Lloyd Suarez and Rufel Baņoc of radio station dySS accompanied Laxamana past 8 p.m. to the CIDG 7, where he related his alleged ordeal to CIDG 7 chief Salvador Manga and CIDG 7 legal officer Insp. Enrique Lacerna.
The two dySS broadcasters already interviewed Laxamana on air before they accompanied him to the CIDG 7.
Laxamana alleged that the senator forced himself on him as Osmeņa promised to pay him P50,000. But he was only paid P12,000, he said.
Both Manga and Lacerna, however, told Laxamana that he already lost his right to file a complaint against the senator because in 1992, there was no law yet qualifying anal sex as rape.
Lacerna said the complaint can fall under acts of lasciviousness, but such a complaint can be filed only within 10 years of the alleged offense.
"Crimes punishable by correctional penalty prescribe in 10 years. Since it happened 12 years ago, he already lost his right to file a complaint," he said.
Laxamana was supposed to execute an affidavit at the CIDG 7 to formalize his complaint against the Cebuano senator.
Nevertheless, Manga ordered a CIDG 7 investigator to record Laxamana's complaint in their blotter.
The previous complaint against the senator has angered even his estranged brother, former Cebu governor Lito Osmeņa, who ordered Sonny's name included in sample ballots to be circulated by Promdi.
(April 7, 2004 issue)
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