NBI agents nab school worker for attempted rape

THEY were shocked.

Teachers and employees at Misamis Oriental General Comprehensive High School (MOGCHS) couldn’t believe that their officemate was caught literally with his “pants down” by a team of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in an entrapment involving him on attempted rape and grave coercion charges in an inn at Barangay Consolacion Wednesday.

Edgar Magallanes, 52, is the records in-charge at MOGCHS who has been serving the school for more than 20 years. He was assigned in the school’s records section in 2012.

"Sa iyang kadugay diri sa MOGCHS, wala pa gyud sukad mi kadungog ug reklamo laban sa iya, bisag anonymous letter man lang nga magsumbong, wala gyud," one of his colleagues said Wednesday.

They could not believe that their officemate and friend committed the alleged indiscretion. They have known him as a "father-figure" and "family-oriented" person. They all saw him as "buotan" (a good person).

In its report, NBI wrote that Michelle (not her real name), the complainant, alleged that Magallanes forced her to go out on a date with him in exchange of releasing her school records, Form-137.

Around 2 p.m. on May 29, Michelle went to MOGCHS and requested for her Form-137, a requirement for her application to get a passport. Magallanes told Michelle she could no longer get another Form-137 since it was already released to the latter.

According to a teacher at MOGCHS who requested not to be named, Michelle could have requested an honorary discharge from the college that she enrolled in to get another Form-137 quickly.

Michelle was assured that Magallanes could find a way.

"Sindikatohon nato ni, ipalusot nato ni," Michelle said quoting Magallanes.

Then, Magallanes asked what he could get in return once Michelle’s Form-137 is released.

Michelle asked if she had to pay him money for the Form-137. But, Magallanes declined accepting the money and pressed on getting a date with Michelle, NBI’s report showed further.

Michelle declined the proposal for she couldn’t take it. She went back to her work after the conversation with Magallanes.

Later in the afternoon, the guard told Michelle that someone was looking for her.

She was surprised to see Magallanes who persistently asked her again for a date.

Suspecting that Magallanes, with his scheme, could have had victimized other girls who came to him and desperate with the same concern in the past, Michelle decided to play with him.

She said yes to the request, bearing in mind that she will immediately seek help from the authorities.

In the report, Michelle narrated that Magallanes told her that both high school and college students who approached him agreed to his proposal and dated him in motels since he would only be the person who could decide on the school records and that the girls were warned not to tell anyone or they would know what could happen to their records.

On May 30, Michelle sought the help of NBI-10.

The report further revealed that on June 2, Magallanes insisted to meet Michelle and they would go to an inn.

Later in the afternoon, Michelle waited along Velez Street following Magallanes’ orders. A few minutes later, a red Honda motorcycle came and the driver asked her to ride.

Investigators from the NBI-10 followed them until at the inn.

Sensing that Magallanes has a bad intention on her, Michelle opened the door enabling the NBI-10 agents to enter the room and catch Magallanes naked while the complainant was also half naked.

"Ato nalang ni areglohon, sir," Magallanes told the agents during the arrest.

Magallanes was then brought to NBI-Northern Mindanao Regional Office (NBI-NEMRO) for booking, fingerprinting, photographs and other procedural matters.

Recovered inside the room of the inn were two sachets of medicine believed to be a sex-enhancing drug, one was empty and the other remained unopened, and a box of condom.

When asked on his comments about the charges and if he had repeatedly done forcing girls to date with him, Magallanes said he was framed by the complainant and that it was the first time he did it.

When another reporter asked him if he regretted what he had done since he is almost retiring from office, he answered: “Wala.”

With the suspect’s arrest, the NBI-10 is urging those who were Magallanes’ victims to come out and file complaints “to get justice on what they went through,” NBI agent Wenceslao Galendez said.