FOUR suspects, including a 15-year-old minor, were arrested for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl in Catbalogan City, Samar.
Lieutenant Colonel Edwin Oloan Jr., officer-in-charge of the Catbalogan City Police Station, identified the suspects as alias Mar, 22; alias Jimbo, 20; alias Macmac, 26; and alias Bong, 15.
The suspects were all residents of Barangay Payao, Catbalogan.
"I commend our Catbalogan policemen for their dedication and hard work in the successful arrest of these most wanted persons. Through a series of intelligence and follow-up operations, especially with the help and interaction of the citizens, the arrests were made possible," said Oloan, following the arrest of the suspects on Thursday, February 23, 2023.
According to the police, the incident happened on November 27, 2022, when the victim was invited by her friend for a drink in downtown Catbalogan.
Instead of going to the said place, the victim was brought to a beach in Barangay Payao, where the suspects were waiting.
“When the victim felt dizzy due to intoxication, the suspects took the victim to the vicinity of Jose Casiño Sr. Elementary School of the said barangay where she was allegedly raped and abused by the suspects,” the police said in a report.
While the suspects were sexually abusing the victim, she noticed that alias Macmac was filming her while committing the rape and uploaded it on social media.
The suspects were charged with four counts of statutory rape with no bail recommended and an additional charge for violating Republic Act 9995, or the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009, against alias Macmac with a recommended bail of P21,000. (SunStar Philippines)