Detainee accuses cop of rape

BATANGAS, Philippines—A female detainee has accused a police officer of raping her outside the police station early Sunday in Sta. Teresita town, Batangas province.

The suspect, with the rank of Senior Police Officer 4, has been charged with rape and is now detained at the provincial police headquarters in Batangas City to avoid any untoward incident at the municipal police station, according to Senior Insp. Allan Nidua, town police chief.

Just recently, a high-ranking police officer assigned to the Southern Police District (SPD) was also accused of raping a bar attendant in the police headquarters. The victim was reportedly among those arrested after the police raided the bar in Pasay City on Oct. 23.

In a phone interview on Tuesday, Nidua said the victim, a 25-year-old woman, was arrested with her boyfriend three months ago for stealing cable wires. The case was already settled and the victim was just waiting for a court order for her release, he said.

Quoting the woman as saying, Nidua said the police officer, who was on duty at the time, ordered her to pack up her things and board a police van parked outside the station. “She said [the officer] started touching her and raped her inside the vehicle,” he said.

The policeman then brought her back to her cell, Nidua said. Her boyfriend was in a separate cell.

“She just cried all morning but wouldn’t tell anyone why. Maybe because the officer was still around,” Nidua said.