Panama ‘diplomat’ nabbed; Filipina cries date rape in Makati

A 35-year-old Panamanian national holding a diplomatic passport was taken into police custody after a 19-year-old Filipino woman accused him of raping her during a date in Makati City on Monday night, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police said Wednesday.

Erick Bairnals Shcks was still in CIDG custody as of Wednesday even after Panama’s ambassador, Roberto Carlos Moreno, interceded in his behalf and sought his release, arguing that the suspect was protected by diplomatic immunity.

The head of the CIDG Women and Children Protection Division, Supt. Emma Libunao, said the CIDG would only release the Panamanian suspect once the Department of Foreign Affairs had verified his identity and given its go-signal.

Libunao said the alleged rape occurred at around 11 p.m. on April 23 when Shcks invited the girl over to his place after befriending her a few days earlier.

The suspect allegedly made the complainant sniff a marijuana-like substance, rendering her almost unconscious, and then raped her.

The woman reported the crime to the CIDG in the morning of April 25. Police later caught up with the Panamanian national at a McDonald’s branch in Makati City and arrested him.

Libunao said it was not immediately clear what diplomatic position Shcks held or where he was detailed, as he only presented a passport with the word “Diplomat” stamped on it.