PNPA cadet accuses officer of sexual abuse
A police major assigned to the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) in Silang, Cavite has been arrested and charged after he allegedly sexually abused a 23-year-old male cadet last month.
A report from the Calabarzon regional police office said the alleged abuse happened at the police academy on July 31 after the suspect got the victim drunk, asked him to undress and give him a massage.
“However, aside from the massage, the suspect maliciously touched the victim’s body down to his groin area. The suspect then performed oral sex on the victim,” said the police report.
Acts of lasciviousness
“The victim then sought the assistance of the duty guard in the building and their superior, which resulted in the suspect’s arrest,” it added.
A case for acts of lasciviousness has been filed against the suspect in the Silang-Amadeo Municipal Circuit Trial Court, Silang police chief Lt. Col. Louie Gonzaga told the Inquirer in an interview on Thursday.
Gonzaga said the alleged abuse happened inside the PNPA as he also confirmed that the victim was a male cadet while the suspect was a police official assigned to the academy as a tactical officer.
In a separate statement, the PNPA said it will file administrative charges against the police officer.
Napolcom probe
“In light of this incident, the academy is taking decisive steps to strengthen its internal mechanisms, including the tightening of vetting procedures for all personnel assigned to PNPA,” it added.
National Police Commission (Napolcom) Vice Chair and Executive Officer Rafael Calinisan, on the other hand, told reporters on Thursday that they are conducting a motu proprio investigation of the incident.
According to him, he found it questionable that the case filed against the police official was acts of lasciviousness instead of rape.
“If I were to view it differently, I think the better nomenclature is rape. So I’m not so sure why it is denominated as acts of lasciviousness because I think the law is clear. This is a clear rape case,” he said.
While a full administrative report is pending, Calinisan emphasized that if the allegations should be proven, the penalty should “clearly be dismissal from the service. There is no discussion here.”
He encouraged the victim to pursue the case against the suspect while assuring him that the Napolcom will give him its full support.
