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Thursday, July 31, 2008
Child molester sells snacks to victims
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY - Accused child molester Carlos Decipolo took advantage of his victims for more than a year before he was discovered by authorities in Camaman-an Public Elementary School, the police said Wednesday.
Police Officer 3 Juliet Dagang of the Cogon police station's Women and Children Complaint Desk said Decipolo sells snacks and food to the students of his wife, Marivic, a Grade II teacher in Camaman-an Public Elementary School.
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"He even has his desk where he sells the snacks. So the students thought he was an authority being the husband of their classroom teacher," Dagang told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.
Decipolo, 57, was arrested by the police last Friday in another school, Cala-anan Elementary School, after receiving a tip from an informant who knew the suspect's past activities.
Twelve Grade II students, ages between seven to eight years old, filed cases of statutory rape by sexual assault against Decipolo before the Regional Trial Court.
Decipolo was arrested based on an arrest warrant issued by the Regional Trial Court branches 22 and 37. He is still facing 18 counts of molestation filed by the students of Camaman-an Elementary School.
Decipolo refused to give his side when reporters tried to interview him at the Maharlika detention center in Barangay Carmen, where he was temporarily detained.
Marife Waniwan, vice president of the Parents-Teacher Council Association (PTCA), said the molestation cases have rocked the Camaman-an Elementary School when it was discovered last March 19, 2008.
Waniwan, a kindergarten teacher, narrated how she saw one of the victims running away from the classroom of Marivic, Decipolo's wife. She said she saw Decipolo even tried to chase the student.
"She look terrified. So I asked her why," Waniwan said.
Waniwan said the student told her that the suspect had kissed her while inside the classroom. She said she noted that Marivic was not inside her classroom for that was lunch time.
She said she immediately brought the matter to the attention of their principal, Gundelina Carmen, who launched an investigation.
To their surprise, 10 more students of Marivic admitted that they too were allegedly molested by the suspect.
Waniwan said they learned that Decipolo was allowed inside the classroom to sell snacks to the students and even had his own table without the knowledge of the school authorities.
In the affidavits filed by the victims at the Cogon police station, the students narrated that Decipolo would call them everytime his wife took a nap or go out of the classroom during lunch break.
"Decipolo would allegedly ask the victims to pluck his graying hair while he sits on a chair. While the children are doing that, the suspect would touch their genitalia," PO3 Dagang said.
Dagang said Decipolo allegedly threatened his victims with failing grades or forced them to stand in the middle of the classroom if they report to the other teachers.
"Because they saw him everyday in their classroom and being the husband of their teacher, the students believed in his threats," Dagang said.
The PTCA filed a formal petition to transfer Decipolo's wife, Marivic, after the students filed their complaints with the police. They also instructed the school security to ban Decipolo from entering the school premises.
Marivic eventually was transferred to Cala-anan Elementary Public School where police finally arrested him last Friday.
But Decipolo remained scot-free for the past four months and was able to enter freely in Cala-anan Elementary School.
"Mas maayo nga napriso na si Carlos kay kuyaw og manghilabot na sad siya og laing bata didto sa laing eskwelahan," (It is good that Carlos is in jail before he will try to molest other children in other schools.)," a victim's mother told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.
Hilda, also a victim's mother, said the parents of Decipolo's victims were outraged why school authorities in Camaman-an allowed the molester inside the classroom.
She said she now understood why her child wears more than one underwear when she goes to school every morning.
"I used to scold her for wearing too many panties. Now I understand she did it so Decipolo could not touch her private parts," Hilda said.
"I asked my child for forgiveness. I did not understood what she was going through," she added. (Cong Corrales with reports from ALR/Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Dumaguete. (July 31, 2008 issue)
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