Manila teen cries rape vs ‘text mate’

MANILA, Philippines—A 32-year-old man was arrested for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl, a “text mate’’ he invited to his Sampaloc residence for a drink.

The alleged victim, a high school student, accused Mariel dela Cruz of sexually abusing her after getting her drunk Monday night.

According to Supt. Mannan Muarip, commander of the Manila Police District’s (MPD’s) Sampaloc station, the two had known each other for only a few weeks, communicating only through text messages.

They met for the first time Monday when Dela Cruz invited her and her friends to his house on Palawan Street, where he made them drink gin.

In her complaint, the girl said she had fallen asleep on the couch when the man started forcing himself on her around 7 p.m., while her friends were out buying food.

Finally able to escape when the man was done, the girl ran to her friends outside, told the alleged abuse to her sister, and had Dela Cruz arrested by members of the MPD-Gulod precinct around 2 a.m. the following day.

The suspect was charged with rape, an allegation backed by a medical report secured by the minor’s family, in the city prosecutor’s office on Tuesday.