CEBU CITY, Philippines — A 41-year-old man, who is wanted for allegedly raping and abusing the 10-year-old daughter of his common-law wife or live-in partner, was arrested in a northern town on Sunday evening, November 14, 2021.
The man, who is facing eight counts of rape and 20 counts for violation of the Anti-Child Abuse Law, was arrested after he was served the warrant of arrest for those crimes, said Police Lieutenant Zosimo Ravanes Jr., team lead of the Anti-Kidnapping Group in Central Visayas (AKG-7).
Ravanes said Judge Jeniffer Singco, presiding judge of the 7th Judicial Region, Branch 79 in Bogo City, Cebu, issued the warrant of arrest on November 11, 2021.
The rape case has no bail recommended while the accused’s violations of Anti-Child Abuse Law, specifically under section 5B, have a total bail of P3,600,000.
According to Republic Act 7610 of the Revised Penal Code, the penalty for the crime of rape and lascivious conduct committed on a minor under 12 years old shall be reclusion temporal in its medium period or from 12 years to 20 years in prison.
The accused, however, denied the allegations against him, saying that the mother of the child had allegedly a motive for doing this to him.
Ravanes, however, said that accused did not know that there was a warrant of arrest against him, but the latter allegedly moved to another town after learning that his former live-in partner had filed a rape and child abuse case against him.
The rape and child abuse cases were filed last August 2021 after the mother of the child learned about the alleged rape, said the policeman.
Ravanes said that the man and the mother of the child were live-in partners for three years, and they broke up last April 2021.
He also said that the alleged rape of the child happened last June 2020 to November 2020.
Ravanes said that this was the time when the man, who worked as a roofer or a person who fixed roofs, returned home in the northern town because there was no work in Cebu City due to the pandemic.
He said the accused was allegedly left alone with the child after the mother of the child, the man’s live-in partner, decided to work in an eatery to earn money for the family.
He said the mother of the child allegedly trusted her live-in partner to help the child with her modules for school.
Ravanes said that mother of the complainant submitted the medical certificates to support their case against the accused.
He said that this resulted to the issuing of a warrant of arrest against the accused.
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