THE police arrested a 54-year-old American national for an alleged child abuse case in Sitio Son-ok, Barangay Ibabao, Cordova last Tuesday afternoon.
SPO2 Laurencio Wagwag, desk officer, identified the suspect as Maurice Bass, who was presented in the court yesterday before his transfer to a jail.
The arrest was based on the warrant issued by Cebu City Regional Trial Court Branch 11 Judge Ramon Daomilas.
Bass is facing a case for violating Section 10 of Republic Act 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.
Section 10 of the law punishes “acts of neglect, abuse, cruelty or exploitation and other conditions prejudicial to the child’s development.”
It further prohibits any person to be in the company of “a minor, 12 years or under or who is 10 years or more his junior in any public or private place, hotel, motel, beer joint, discotheque, cabaret, pension house, sauna or massage parlor, beach and/or other tourist resort or similar places.”
Cordova Police Station Chief Jomar Medil implemented the warrant of arrest in Bass’s house. The foreigner did not resist arrest.
Sun.Star Cebu tried to interview Medil by telephone to get the background of the case against Bass, but the police official sent a text message that he was in a meeting.