Police monitor spread of ‘date rape drug’

THE intelligence branch of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) is set to meet with the management of  establishments of  Mango Square and nearby  areas following the reported gang rape of a  21-year-old woman  who was hanging out in  one of the bars.

The woman said she suspects her beer was laced with a drug that made her dizzy and pass out before she was abducted.

Police will discuss the  spread of the “date rape drug”   gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), a liquid type of Ecstasy in Cebu City.

Supt. Romeo Santander, chief of City Intelligence Branch (CIB), said   the rape victim accepted a drink that could have been drugged.

This isn’t the first report of its kind in Cebu City, he said.

A few months ago,  a 42-year-old woman was also  gang raped after a party  in a bar on Gen. Maxilom Ave.

The victim, who is married, decided not to file charges to save herself from further humiliation.

The woman was with friends in Mango Square when she fainted and fell on the ground.

“She came here crying asking for help. She said  that as far as she could remember, a man was trying to take off her clothes and she heard men laughing in the background,” said Santander in Cebuano.

The victim was able to identify the rapists but refused to press charges because she didn’t want her husband abroad to find out.

Santander said police are coordinating with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on this matter.  He couldn’t give details on the frequency of similar cases.

In the case of the 21-year-old victim,  rape charges were already filed against against Mark Anthony Dumpe, Peter Bendanillo and a man identified as Julius.