Protect the witness

By Egay Uy

WHAT could be the most probable reason why the pregnant 16-year-old complaining witness in a reported act of lasciviousness case was gunned on Tuesday? The victim was reported to have come from an arraignment in Branch 22 of the Regional Trial Court in the Hall of Justice in upper Carmen when she was shot at while waiting for a ride along Masterson Avenue.

The news account tells us that the victim used to work as a house help of a police major and was supposedly fondled by her employer months before the filing of the case. To make a long account short, she filed the case against her former employer. She is, therefore, the principal witness, in that case, being the victim of the alleged lascivious acts.

If I recall right, it was the accused whom I met some three years ago while he was still (as he told me then) the chief of police of Tagoloan. I was with the traffic office then. The car he was riding, driven by somebody else, ran a red light at Antonio Luna corner Corrales streets.

I motored after them and caught up with their car at Luna-Velez when they attempted to make a u-turn going back to the direction of Corrales. That was when I was able to flag them down.

The passenger introduced himself as the police chief of Tagoloan. I can no longer recall the name but I can only surmise he was the same police officer who is the accused in the lasciviousness case. I recall he was apologetic and did not show any arrogance when I said I had to issue a citation ticket for the violation. He introduced the driver as his son.

We had a brief chat while I was issuing the citation ticket and he impressed upon me that he had respect for the rule of law. I even thought of paying him a visit in his office in Tagoloan so we can talk some more about law enforcement.

I am not recalling the encounter in defense of the accused in the lasciviousness case in the event he is the same person. The thought simply came back to mind after I read the news item about the attempt on the life of the 16-year-old complaining witness in a case she filed against her former employer.

We cannot surmise that it was the accused who caused the attempted killing and we cannot with definiteness also say it was not him. I could only hope the perpetrators would be apprehended and brought to justice soon.

And it will help if the complaining witness were put under the witness protection program.

(Egay Uy is a lawyer. He chairs the City’s Regulatory and Complaint Board, co-chairs with the city mayor the City Price Coordinating Council, and chairs the city’s Joint Inspection Team.  He retired as a vice president of Cepalco.)