KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews/09 April) – An employee of the local water district was arrested over the weekend for allegedly molesting a 15-year old girl inside a videoke bar.
Police identified the suspect as Rodrigo Gasatan who works as meter reader of the Metro Kidapawan Water District (MKWD).
Police said the victim was caught molesting Christine, not her real name, at Don-Don’s Resto Bar located inside the Kidapawan City Sports Complex.
According to reports from the City Social Welfare and Development Office, Christine used to work as domestic help of the Gasatan family. She left her employers in July last year allegedly because she was being sexually harassed by the suspect.
Christine told authorities that late last year, she met the suspect and he took her mobile phone number. Since then, she said, the suspect would send messages inviting her to a date.
Due to fear, the girl later told her parents about the sexual abuse that Gasatan allegedly committed against her. They then sought assistance from the police and the social welfare office.
On Saturday afternoon, DSWD staff and local police led by Senior Insp. Sunny Leoncito of the anti-vice and intelligence division conducted an entrapment operation against the suspect at the bar.
They reportedly caught Gasatan in the act of molesting the girl.
Police said they will file on Tuesday a complaint of acts of lasciviousness against the suspect.
The DSWD said rape charges against Gasatan would be filed in Makilala since the alleged crime happened in the suspect’s house where Christine had worked.
Gasatan denied the charges saying the girl was just creating stories to destroy him and his family after they stopped sending her to school.
He said the girl also attended classes while working as their house help and that they paid for her studies. (Malu Cadelina Manar/MindaNews)