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Friday, March 07, 2008
ABC president sued for rape of coed
By Malu Cadelina Manar
Correspondent
KIDAPAWAN CITY -- Some 500 students of the University of Southern Mindanao (USM) held a silent protest last Wednesday to drumbeat calls for justice to their fellow student who was allegedly kidnapped and raped by a local official.
Led by officials of the USM's Local Student Government, the students wore red t-shirts and armbands as a sign of their outrage. They marched from their school campus up to the municipal hall in Kabacan, North Cotabato.
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According to the testimony of Angelie (not her real name), she was taken by force from her boarding house on the night of February 25 by a certain Bianca Montawal Paglas.
Angelie, 17 years old, is a student of the College of Human Ecology and Food Sciences in USM -- the biggest state university in North Cotabato -- taking up Hotel and Management.
She narrated that they boarded a red pick-up together with two other persons. One was only identified as Jerome.
When they reached the university belt, Paglas allegedly brought her to one of the rooms at the Pareng Bong Lodging House, where the alleged perpetrator, identified as Datu Andy Montawal, president of the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) and son of the mayor of Datu Montawal, Maguindanao, was waiting.
Angelie claimed that at gunpoint, the suspect ordered her to undress. She also said she was told to take some shabu but she refused.
At around 11 p.m., the victim said she was then taken back to her boarding house where she related the incident to her boardmates and then later to her father.
Immediately, they went to the local police where they filed the complaint against Montawal, Paglas, and two others.
The next day, the documents were submitted to the North Cotabato Provincial Prosecutor's Office in Kidapawan City. But after it was raffled, it went to the Kabacan Prosecutor's Office.
The prosecution gave Montawal and the other three individuals allegedly involved in the crime at least 10 days to execute their counter-affidavits.
After which, the prosecution will then determine if there's a probable cause to submit the complaints to the Regional Trial Court for the issuance of warrants of arrest.
But unconfirmed reports said that when Montawal heard of the case, he immediately went into hiding.
Angelie, her father, and other support groups backing them up, including women's groups in North Cotabato, urged the local government officials in Kabacan to pressure the law enforcers to effect the arrest of the suspects once the warrants would be issued.
Angelie's father said this fight is not only the fight of his daughter but also the struggle of the people of Kabacan who demand justice for other students who were also raped by the perpetrator.
"While I cry justice for what had happened to my daughter, but I know that there are other victims of this heinous crime who have been killed or silenced or were paid huge sums of money just to make their mouths shut," the victim's father said.
Kabacan Councilor Cedric Mantawil, chair of the Municipal Council committee on peace and order, said they salute Angelie for taking the cudgels.
"What she did was so heroic. She was not afraid. What she wants is justice. This is the reason why we're backing her up in this case," said Mantawil.
Mantawil added that Angelie and her family had "waged a battle" against somebody who is "clothed" with powers and influence in the community.
Montawal, though already armed, is protected by a number of fully-armed bodyguards, said Mantawil.
Angelie, according to the town's social worker Susan Macalipat, has already stopped schooling and was housed in a safe place while the case is still ongoing.
It can be recalled that Montawal is also among the five major drug personalities in Central Mindanao who is under tight watch of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). Yet, the PDEA said no case has been filed against Montawal and four others. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Davao. (March 7, 2008 issue)
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