Facebook aids in capture of rape suspect

By Jigger J. Jerusalem
Correspondent .

A POST on social media has led to the arrest of a man from Gingoog City last Friday night who is suspected of raping a minor after he went into hiding for a few months.

Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Pontillas, Gingoog police chief, identified the suspect as Rustom Juagpao Jr., 32, married, a resident of Purok 2, Barangay Pigsaluhan, Gingoog, and a motorized trisikad driver.

Although married, Juagpao’s wife is an overseas Filipino worker.

Pontillas said Juagpao is facing 53 counts of rape for sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl in December 2018.

The victim reported the matter to the police on January this year.

“She went to the CSWD (City Social Welfare and Development), who brought her to the police. During the investigation, the Women’s and Children’s Protection Desk was able to ascertain that what the victim said was true,” Pontillas said.

He said the suspect will be facing the charges against him in two regional trial courts in Gingoog considering the number of counts of the filed case.

Judges Mirabeaus Undalok of RTC-10 Branch 43 and Giovanni Alfred Navarro of RTC-10 Branch 27 are said to be handling Juagpao’s case docketed as Criminal Case No. 2019-7631 up to 2019-7670.

Juagpao was arrested at Purok Panaghiusa, Barangay Agusan Pequeño in Butuan City inside his parents’ house where he has been holed for months following the filing of case against him by the victim.

“When the suspect found out that a case was filed against him, he immediately left town and went to stay at his parents’ house in Butuan,” he said.

Pontillas said they posted the suspect’s photo and the nature of the case he was facing on Facebook Friday morning.

“We posted it in the morning. The Butuan police contacted us about the suspect’s whereabouts. At around 9:00 pm on the same day we arrested him,” he said.