The National Bureau of Investigation in Bacolod City yesterday filed child abuse charges against a man who allegedly intimidated a 14-year-old girl into cohabiting with him for nearly a week before she was rescued by her parents and the police in Cauayan town, Negros Occidental.

Joselito Fermin, 22, was charged for alleged violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination, Henry Arellano, NBI Bacolod spokesperson, said.

Fermin, a resident of Inayawan, Cauayan, was nabbed by members of the NBI and the town police at his house Tuesday morning, on the complaint of Eduardo and his wife, Rose that he had kept their daughter with him since Thursday last week, Arellano said.

Fermin, however, denied the allegations and told investigators that the teenager went to his residence on her own and even refused to go home when he told her to do so.

The minor claimed that she went to Fermin’s house because she was kicked out by her parents.

The parents had sought help from the Women’s and Children’s Protection Center of the Bacolod City Police Office on the matter Sunday but claimed they were not assisted well by the personnel.

Insp. Leilani Garcia, BCPO-WCPC chief, however, said that there must have been a misunderstanding between the parents and their investigator because the complainants were still quite emotional then.

Garcia said, they tried to explain the process of assisting the parents and said that they could not go with them because they were not sure whether their daughter was indeed in Cauayan, in the first place.

She said, though, that they are inviting the parents and the investigator of the case to a dialog with them to clarify the matter.

Meanwhile, Garcia said they are also investigating the complaint of a mother whose 5-year-old daughter was allegedly sexually-molested by four of their neighbors, who are all minors, in Bacolod.*PP

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