EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Arrest of RUFINO CEBANES, Jr.

For Violations of RA 8353, Art. 266-A of the RPC in relation to RA 7610

          On 18 January 2012, operatives of Regional Office 6, Iloilo City conducted an entrapment and rescue operation on minor Victim, a 10-year old, Grade IV pupil of Kids Alternative Home Academy after she was subjected to sexual abuse by Subject RUFINO C. CEBANES, JR. inside a room at the 3rd floor of the said school located at Maquiling Street, Purok II, Pavia, Iloilo City.

          Consequently, on 20 January 2012, Subject was brought for inquest proceedings before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor, Hall of Justice, Iloilo City for Violation of Art. 266-A (Statutory Rape) of the Revised Penal in relation to Republic Act 7610 (Anti-Child Abuse Law).

          Subject is now under detention at the NBI Regional Office 6, Western Visayas, Iloilo City.

         The suspect, RUFINO CEBANES, Jr., 29, a native of Dumalag, Capiz and said to be temporarily residing at Brgy.Benedicto, Jaro, Iloilo is a teacher in Physical Education of the said school.

            The arrest was made after the Victim’s parents went to the NBI RO6 to lodge a complaint against the suspect. Some of the relatives of the Victim informed her parents (who were both working in Doha, Qatar) that they noticed some changes in the Victim after spending a lot of time with her teacher. Their suspicions were confirmed when they opened Victim’s Facebook account which showed more than 500 mail and chat exchanges between her and the suspect.

The Victim said that the molestations started in March 2011 while she was in Grade 3 when she participated in a school activity where Subject was his teacher. This repeated happened after their practice or during the free the Victim and was done either in the school’s comfort room or at the Rhythm Center owned by Subject.

         Suspect denied the accusations leveled against him intimating that the sexual encounter was on a mutual understanding. 

NBI RO6 is not discounting the possibility that the Victim was lured into a relationship with him. Nonetheless since the Victim is less than twelve years old, consent is not essential for statutory rape in relation to Republic Act 7610 or the Anti-Child Abuse Law.

            Our Regional Office 6 is now looking for other pupils who may have been victimized by Subject. They received information that there were about four (4) more pupils who were victimized by Subject.

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