THE Cebu City Police Office is currently searching for a man who was reportedly caught on video masturbating in the food court of a mall in corner Leon Kilat Street and Natalio Bacalso Street in Cebu City at around 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21, 2024.
The video later went viral in the social media after being uploaded.
A student from a school close to the mall named Inday May claimed that she was eating in the food court with her friends, when she spotted the man at the next table staring at her, but she chose to ignore him.
However, they soon discovered that the man was fiddling with his penis while holding his cell phone.
Inday May quickly took out her cellphone and videotaped the man.
She should have reported the incident to the security guard, but the man got up and fled.
"While nagkaon mi nakabantay ko nga sige syag tan-aw nako kay naka lingi man ko niya. After almost an hour kanang na intimidate nako kay cge syag tan-aw sa akoa, mao to ni ana ko sa akung amiga nga tan-awa daw ang naka gray nga lalaki sa pikas table, sus na shock nalang akung amiga kay pag tan-aw niya nag masturbate man," Inday May said.
(We were eating when I noticed that he kept looking at me. After almost an hour I was already scared because he continued to stare at me, that's why I told my friend to look at the man in a gray t-shirt at the other table. She was shocked to see that the man was masturbating).
When Inday May got home, she told her father what had happened.
She then posted the video in the social media, which immediately went viral.
According to Police Major Philip Libres, the chief of the Carbon Police Station, he instructed the investigator to find the offender.
They also worked with the victim's parents to arrange for the complaint to be filed.
The man will be charged with violating the new Safe Spaces Act, also known as the Bawal Bastos Law, and unjust vexation once arrested.
"Naka view nata sa video mao to ako gipaadto ang atung imbestigador aron pagkuha sa dugang ebidensya labi na ang mga CCTV no. Naa man nay mga CCTV diha para ma identify pud nato ang suspect katong nag buhat sa law-ay nga bulohaton, ato sad siya nga ma profiling ug ma background," according to Libres.
(After viewing the video, I dispatched our investigator to gather additional evidence, particularly the CCTV footage. This will allow us to identify the suspect who carried out the lewd act. We will also submit him to a background check and profiling).
Libres urged the public to call the police when they encounter someone who looks like the one in the video.
The police official claimed that the suspect's face is clearly visible in the video and can easily be identified.
He added that many netizens also took screenshots of his face.
Libres advised the suspect to surrender because he will still be recognized. (AYB, TPT)