Parañaque cop denies rape; surrenders out of pity for kin

MANILA, Philippines—After two days in hiding, Dongalo precinct commander Senior Inspector Mujalni Dugasan has finally surfaced to deny the charges of rape against him.

Though apologizing to his superiors for the trouble he caused, the beleaguered 55-year-old policeman denied the accusations of a 15-year-old, second-year high school student  who claimed he raped her in his car at the Parañaque police headquarters’  parking lot in Sucat on Tuesday evening.

Dugasan claimed he  surrendered because “he felt pity for his family,” said acting Parañaque police chief Senior Superintendent Andrei Felix . “He was also scared of going to jail.”

Felix said that when Dugasan surrendered to his office on Friday morning, he was accompanied by a lawyer who advised him to save his statements for court.

The Parañaque police filed a rape complaint against Dugasan at the city fiscal’s office on Thursday. The police chief said an administrative case against Dugasan was also underway and he could face dismissal just months before his scheduled retirement.

Dugasan is currently under restrictive custody at the Parañaque police central station.

Although even Felix could not extract  a narration of events from Dugasan,  he said Dugasan contradicted the victim’s claim that they were complete strangers.

“He said they already knew each other. Other precinct policemen also said the girl was friends with some of them and was a regular visitor at the station,” Felix told the Inquirer in a telephone interview.

So far, a background check on Dugasan proved “negative” for any misdemeanor since he entered the police force in 1978, Felix said.

“So I don’t understand how, after all his years in service, and already facing retirement in August, he could suddenly do something like this,” the newly installed police chief said.

Southern police district director Chief Superintendent Jose Erwin “Jet” Villacorte said that on Monday, Dugasan will be temporary relieved as precinct commander and will be transferred to the district personnel holding and accounting unit while the administrative investigation is ongoing.

The Dongalo precinct has jurisdiction over the La Huerta and Dongalo districts of Parañaque, Felix said.