Rape victim 'was offered money for her silence'
By Barbara Mae Dacanay, Gulf News
A 22-year old Filipina was offered money to withdraw the filing of a rape case against four US servicemen in central Luzon last year, said a step-sister who testified in a lower court in Makati City yesterday.
"A man, identified as Ben Natividad, told my sister to accept a settlement money and not to file rape charges," said Ana Lisa Franco.
She did not say if Natividad represented the American servicemen. She also did not say how much money was being offered to the rape victim, who was identified as "Nicole".
The witness recalled that her sister went missing after she danced with a US serviceman in Club Neptune, in Subic, last November 1.
A friend, another US serviceman, whom they met in their restaurant inside the Southern Command in Zamboanga City, had invited her, Nicole and their 12-year old sister to Subic in November, said Franco.
"After my sister went missing, three policemen brought her to our hotel at 2 in the morning of November 2, and told me that she was found on the road, that she was dumped by a speeding van," said Franco.
Admission
Franco said that when she and her sister went to a hospital to report about the rape incident, a doctor told her sister, "You must have liked it."
A certain Timoteo Soriano, the driver of the van where Nicole was allegedly raped, went to the police station when the victim reported about the alleged rape incident.
"He denied that Nicole was the one who was inside the van that he drove together with the four US servicemen. But later he admitted that Nicole was the one who was brought inside the van by US serviceman Daniel Smith," said Franco.
"A man, identified as Ben Natividad, told my sister to accept a settlement money and not to file rape charges," said Ana Lisa Franco.
She did not say if Natividad represented the American servicemen. She also did not say how much money was being offered to the rape victim, who was identified as "Nicole".
The witness recalled that her sister went missing after she danced with a US serviceman in Club Neptune, in Subic, last November 1.
A friend, another US serviceman, whom they met in their restaurant inside the Southern Command in Zamboanga City, had invited her, Nicole and their 12-year old sister to Subic in November, said Franco.
"After my sister went missing, three policemen brought her to our hotel at 2 in the morning of November 2, and told me that she was found on the road, that she was dumped by a speeding van," said Franco.
Admission
Franco said that when she and her sister went to a hospital to report about the rape incident, a doctor told her sister, "You must have liked it."
A certain Timoteo Soriano, the driver of the van where Nicole was allegedly raped, went to the police station when the victim reported about the alleged rape incident.
"He denied that Nicole was the one who was inside the van that he drove together with the four US servicemen. But later he admitted that Nicole was the one who was brought inside the van by US serviceman Daniel Smith," said Franco.
posted by OlongapoCity Zambales at
7:05 AM
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