The Bacolod City Prosecutor’s Office has filed charges before the Regional Trial Court against the three suspects, who robbed a German national in Brgy. Banago in October of her belongings and later raped her last year, City Police Director Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz said yesterday.

De la Paz said the filing of charges against Joemar Agdana, 18, Henry Bañez, 21, and Cresenciano Catague, 23, all of Brgy. Banago, was recommended by Assistant City Prosecutor Yvonne Gulmatico and approved by City Prosecutor Amando Abanado Tuesday.

Gulmatico said that she had examined the complaints filed against the three by the police and there was reasonable ground to believe that the rape and the robbery of the foreigner had indeed, been committed.

Bacolod City Police Director Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz said they will wait for the arrest warrant against the suspects, who are now at large, so they could apprehend them since Gulmatico denied them bail.

The victim, whose name is being withheld, had told the police that she was sleeping in October 7, last year, when the three barged into her temporary residence in Brgy. Banago, threatened her with knives, took her cellular phone and necklace, and one of them raped her later.

The three had initially admitted to the media that they had raped and robbed the victim and one of them even executed an extra-judicial confession in the presence of their lawyer. However, several days later, he recanted his statements claiming that the members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group tortured them, police records showed.

With the help of the Commission on Human rights, the suspects filed criminal and administrative charges for violation of the anti-torture law against de la Paz, three CIDG members and six other policemen before the office of the Ombudsman of the military and other law enforcement offices in the Visayas, police records also showed.

De la Paz said they are set to send their reply to the charges against them through their counsel, City Legal Officer Joselito Bayatan.

He stressed that the filing of charges by the city prosecutor’s office against the three only shows that they have strong evidences against them and that the complaints they filed before the Ombudsman against him and the police were only for retaliation purposes.*APN

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