TWO men were arrested by police on Monday, August 8, 2022, for allegedly sexually abusing a minor in the northern town of Liloan, Cebu on Sunday night, August 7, 2022.
The suspects were identified as Jonel Alin Palang, a 28-year-old bank messenger from Purok Nangka, Barangay Garin, Consolacion, and Rennard Rosales Sumotia, a 25-year-old food vendor from Barangay Labogon, Mandaue City.
Both men are members of the LGBTQ community.
They were charged with violating Republic Act (RA) 7610, or Special Protection of Children against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act; and RA 9995, or Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act, on Tuesday, August 9, 2022.
Police nabbed Palang at 3 a.m. on Monday after a follow-up operation. They found Sumotia, aka “Hannah Rosales,” in his house at 9 a.m.
Palang allegedly asked the victim, a 15-year-old boy from Barangay Jubay, Liloan, to perform oral sex on him along the national highway in Barangay Poblacion around 7 p.m. Sunday.
Major Ramil Morpos, chief of the Liloan Police Station, told Superbalita Cebu that the victim went to the station to report the crime around 11:30 p.m. The boy was accompanied by his mother.
According to the boy, he was on his way home from mass when he was accosted by the suspects. He told police Palang suddenly groped him, while Sumotia was right behind him.
The two then forced him to ride a motorcycle and brought him to a secluded area in Barangay Poblacion, where Palang ordered the minor to strip naked, perform a blow job on him, while Sumotia acted as a lookout. Palang also allegedly took photos and videos of the act.
The boy told police the two men later dropped him off near his house.
Morpos said they’ve asked the victim to undergo a medical examination and a psychological evaluation at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City.
Senior Master Sergeant Karen Arcelo, chief of the Women’s and Children’s Protection Desk at the Liloan Police Station, said they were able to trace the whereabouts of the suspects on Facebook.
“They wouldn’t let the victim go if he didn’t add both of them on Facebook. That’s how we found them,” Arcelo said in Cebuano.
The boy told police he couldn’t fight back because Palang and Sumotia were too strong. He also wasn’t familiar with the area.
Arcelo said they recovered the cellphone which contained the video and photos from Palang. He said the cellphone also contained videos and photos of the suspect with other minors in various sexual positions.
Arcelo said they turned over the cellphone to the Anti-Cybercrime Group.
Police believe the suspects planned to sell the video and pictures of the victim.
Palang, who was a former dancing traffic enforcer in Consolacion, and Sumotia confessed to the crime. (TPT, PJB)