BY IAN PAUL CORDERO and GLENDA TAYONA
ILOILO City – A 43-year-old city government job hire was arrested for two counts of rape and one count of act of lasciviousness.
Darren “Toto” Magbanua was served with a warrant of arrest by policemen around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday in Barangay Muelle Loney, City Proper.
Presiding Judge Cecilyn Burgos-Villavert of the Regional Trial Court, National Capital Judicial Region, Branch 89 in Quezon City issued the warrant of arrest on Jan. 8, 2018 – long before Magbanua landed a job with the city government of Iloilo.
Public Safety and Transportation Management Office chief Jeck Conlu said Magbanua was hired and detailed at the Task Force on Anti-Squatting and Illegal Structures only three months ago.
Magbanua was charged with two counts of rape one of which was bailable (P120,000) and act of lasciviousness in relation to Section 5(b) Article III of Republic Act 7610 (Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act”) which was also bailable (P200,000).
“He should comply with the warrant of arrest. Automatic kakas sya (from the city government),” said Mayor Jose Espinosa III yesterday.
Magbanua was taken to the Jaro police station after his arrest. He declined to be interviewed.
It was unclear as of this writing if he was able to post bail./PN
