BY FR. SHAY CULLEN
THE MOST recent case of alleged child sexual abuse by a Catholic priest is detailed in a court filing for lascivious conduct and rape of an 11-year-old boy.
The indictment, filed in a Regional Trial Court in Cebu, by the no-nonsense and determined Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Julius Torreon Ompad, backed up by Provincial Prosecutor Ludivico Vistal Cutaran, listed five counts of rape with sexual assault and one count of lascivious conduct.
According to the victim’s testimony, these acts of violent sexual assault allegedly took place over two years in the church rectory, before and after serving in Masses. Four of the alleged heinous crimes were committed between Feb. 12, 2022, and April 27, 2023. Another was committed at a resort, according to the indictment, which reads like a handbook of child rape from hell — certainly a terrible one for the 11-year-old who wants justice and the abuse to stop.
The priest failed to attend the pretrial hearing on Nov. 5, 2024. His lawyer successfully pleaded to postpone the hearing until April 2025. The accused, despite the gravity of the offenses, is not detained, as he paid the P1.2-million bail — P200,000 for each count. The priest, through his lawyer, denied all the charges.
It is well-known that such delaying tactics by the defense give the accused and his accomplices time to pressure the child victim to withdraw his complaint and settle out of court with his relatives. Some child victims, due to a long and drawn-out trial, experience fatigue and give up when they are not supported.
There are so many unresolved and archived cases of child sexual abuse and other crimes by Filipino and foreign pedophiles, including several Catholic priests, because of the police’s failure to find and arrest the suspects. The abuser in hiding could see his case dismissed, walk free, and abuse more children. He can pay off the police not to arrest him and then wait for dismissal. Is that not a travesty of justice?
The justice system will be rendered inutile for child victims and others. It seems justice is denied to victims by surrendering to police incompetence. Courts should summon the police superintendents and generals and be held in contempt for failing in their duty to help abused children and serve arrest warrants issued by the court.
The Philippine system of government is not child-friendly. It favors the accused and, in many cases, denies healing and justice to the child victims. Many children are at risk because pedophilia is like an addiction; there is no stopping it. There is no cure for pedophilia, putting many more children at risk. (To be continued)/PN
