Job order worker accused of molesting boys sacked

A job order employee of the City Social Welfare and Services of Mandaue City government was dismissed after six boys and an 18-year-old accused him of allegedly molesting them.

Charges of violating Republic Act 7610 or the Anti-Child Abuse Law and acts of lasciviousness were filed by one of the victims against 38-year-old Marlon Cabiging, a resident of Barangay Jagobiao, Mandaue City.

City Social Welfare and Services chief Jessie Perez said Cabiging was accused by the boys of molesting them from August until November of this year.

Perez cited a report by Maricel Yu, head of the HOME (Hope of Mandaue) Children Center at Sitio Dunggo-an Barangay Basak, who said they found out only last Nov. 21 that Cabiging was molesting these boys.

Mandaue City Mayor Gabriel “Luigi” Quisumbing ordered Perez to create a team to investigate the complaints.

Perez said he called for assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development 7 (DSWD-7) for the investigation on Cabiging.

Cabiging claimed that one of the boys inside the facility, a 13-year-old boy, was his boyfriend and he admitted to molesting him.

But Cabiging denied molesting the other boys and claimed he was just being friendly to them.

Perez said these boys were led to a private room where they were massaged and then later molested.

The victims were aged 12 to 18 years old and the center houses 75 children, most of them children in conflict with the law.

Job order employees at the center are not stay-in but report for duty on office hours.

Security guards working three shifts are assigned to the center.

Perez said all the victims underwent stress debriefings.

He said their staffers will undergo more training to avoid similar incidents in the future.