NATIONAL Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Chief Guillermo Eleazar ordered on Tuesday, February 12, the relief of five policemen over the alleged facilitation of settlement of a Chinese national who allegedly molested three female students in a theme park in Manila.
The relieved police officers were Chief Inspector Remedios Terte, commander of the Police Community Precinct 1 of Pasay City; and Police Officers 3 Archie Rodriguez and Ranier Dumanacal; Senior Police Officer 2 Jonathan Bayot; and Senior Police Officer 3 Timothy Mengote.
Eleazar said based on initial reports, Zhang Yang, 19, was accosted by security personnel of the theme park after receiving a complaint from three students the Chinese national allegedly molested while inside the horror house.
In a radio interview of the mother of one of the victims, she said they were dismayed of how the policemen handled the case.
She said her daughter initially called and told them that policemen are encouraging them to not to call their parents and settle the issue by themselves as they are already on legal age.
"Hindi namin na feel kasi that we were protected in that substation. Parang kami pa yung may kasalanan, parang nakaka-disappoint lang. Hindi tama yung ganung procedure," the mother said.
(We did not feel that we were protected in that substation. It feels like we were at fault. It's so disappointing. Such procedure is wrong.)
"Sa mga bata, para sa kanila, iniisip nila na OK na...magkano, tinanong sila. Sinabi daw na P300 to P500 na lang daw. Sabi ng arresting officer, 'Ay hindi...mga P20,000 lang yan, paano naman kami?' Yun ang sabi ng arresting officer," she added.
Yang was charged with acts of lasciviousness.
Eleazar assured the parents of the victims that he will have the incident investigated and punish those who will be found liable. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo/SunStar Philippines)