Soldiers allegedly raped by general back to work after mental health break —PAF
'The victims were given actually a mental health break right after nangyari (the incident). They were offered legal assistance as well as psychological assistance as well,' PAF public affairs office acting chief Colonel Ritza Ann Jovellanos said in a press briefing.
'Although they opted to get their private counsel and to be psychologically checked outside. But they're back sa trabaho nila (to their jobs),' she added.
Jovellanos pointed out that the alleged rape incident was an isolated case, saying that PAF personnel are trained to know their rights under the Safe Spaces Act.
'It's an isolated case. We see it as maganda na we know for a fact that the people are now, alam nila 'yung kanilang mga karapatan. So they came out and nagsalita sila kung anong nangyari,' she said.
(It's an isolated case. We see it as good that we know for a fact that the people are aware of their rights. So they came out and talked about what happened.)
'From the start, the personnel are well-trained, indoctrinated on their rights and the policies. For instance, 'yung Safe Spaces Act natin. So alam nila 'yung mga karapatan nila. So wala namang any problem. Again, it's an isolated case,' she added.
(From the start, the personnel are well-trained, indoctrinated on their rights and the policies. For instance, our Safe Spaces Act. So they know their rights. So there's no problem. Again, it's an isolated case.)
The case is now pending the approval of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. for referral to the General Court Martial and its eventual convening.
According to AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla, the senior officer accused of rape is facing investigation for Conduct Unbecoming an Officer and Gentleman as well as Disorders and Neglects Prejudicial to Good Order and Military Discipline under the Articles of War.
Aside from the complaint filed with the AFP, the victims also filed a complaint for rape and attempted rape against the high-ranking military officer with the Prosecutor's Office.
The complainants said in their affidavit that the general asked them to sleep in his room that led to the alleged sexual assault.
But the general denied the allegations against him. He said that the sexual assault was impossible to happen as the complainants could 'overpower' him.
The senior officer has been relieved from his post. He was placed under restrictive custody and confined to his quarters. —AOL, GMA Integrated News
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GMA Network
14 hours ago
- GMA Network
2 of 4 PMA cadets in alleged hazing suspended over ‘physical harm'
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday said two of the four cadets in the alleged hazing incident in the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) have faced suspension for committing physical harm on another cadet. 'One was acquitted. Two were suspended. Yung isa naman underwent a punishment based on his participation being part of a chain of command,' AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said in a press conference. Based on the investigation, the Baguio City Police said the victim, a 4th class cadet, allegedly experienced physical abuse and humiliation from September 2 to 29, 2024. The police noted that the 'acts of maltreatment were not isolated but were carried out regularly inside the barracks.' These alleged physical abuses, which the complainant noted as 'animalistic tripping,' include punches and excessive physical training, which caused him to collapse due to exhaustion. After allegedly receiving a heavy punch on September 29, 2024, the victim nearly lost consciousness and was admitted to a hospital in Quezon City, where he underwent medical and psychological treatment. While imposing sanctions on the involved cadets, the PMA earlier said the reported incident was not considered as 'hazing.' PMA public information office's Lieutenant Jesse Saludo said the incident does not fall under the definition of hazing in the Anti-Hazing Act. 'The injuries were caused by their classmates venting out their frustration on their squadmate, which because they believe the performance of their classmate is affecting their squad,' Saludo said. 'The incident does not fall under the legal definition of hazing as stated in the Anti-Hazing Act, which requires acts of violence or abuse to be committed as part of the admission process in the organization,' he added. According to the PMA, the school has yet to obtain a copy of the formal complaint or police report filed by the victim. — BAP, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
6 days ago
- GMA Network
French detainees in Iran charged with spying for Israel
PARIS, France — Two French nationals detained for more than three years in Iran have been charged with spying for Israel's intelligence agency Mossad, diplomatic and family sources told AFP on Wednesday. They have also been charged with "conspiracy to overthrow the regime" and "corruption on earth," the Western diplomatic source and the sister of Cecile Kohler, who is being detained along with Jacques Paris, told AFP. "We have been informed of these accusations," the diplomatic source said. "All we know is that they have seen a judge who confirmed the three charges," said Kohler's sister, who said the two French nationals were still being denied access to independent lawyers. All three charges carry the death penalty. Iran had previously claimed the two had been arrested for spying but had not revealed exactly whom. Tehran has not confirmed the new charges. "These charges, if they are confirmed, are completely unfounded," the French diplomatic source told AFP. "Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris are innocent," the source added, demanding that the pair are given access to lawyers. The news came a day after the French charge d'affaires in Iran was able to visit the pair in prison. The fate of Kohler and Paris had been unknown since Israel targeted Tehran's Evin prison in an air strike last week, before a US-proposed ceasefire between the Middle East foes came into force. Iran's judiciary said the Israeli strike on the prison had killed at least 79 people. It has also said the Iranian prison authority transferred inmates out of Evin prison, without specifying their number or identifying them. Kohler, 40, and Paris, her 72-year-old partner, have been held in Iran since May 2022. Iran is believed to hold around 20 European nationals, many of whose cases have never been publicized, in what some Western governments including France describe as a strategy of hostage-taking aimed at extracting concessions from the West. Three Europeans, who have not been identified, have also been arrested in the wake of the current conflict, two of whom are accused of spying for Israel, according to the authorities. — Agence France-Presse
GMA Network
24-06-2025
- GMA Network
France charges Briton over staged Disneyland ‘marriage' with child
Disneyland Paris emphasized in a statement that the event had been "immediately cancelled" by its teams "after the identification of significant irregularities." Ian Langsdon/ AFP/ File photo PARIS — France charged a British citizen with offenses including money laundering and identity theft after he allegedly organized a bizarre ceremony at Disneyland Paris where he played the role of the groom in a fake marriage with a nine-year-old girl, prosecutors said Tuesday. He is suspected of hiring the theme park before it opened to the public on Saturday for the staged wedding event, in a contract worth €130,000. The man, who has not been named but has a criminal record in the UK for sexual assault offenses, has in addition to his charges also been named as an assisted witness—a step before being indicted—in a probe into suspected corruption of a minor, prosecutors said. The incident initially caused grave alarm when staff alerted police that it could have concerned an illegal child marriage, with the purported "bride" a nine-year-old Ukrainian girl. It later turned out to have been entirely staged but authorities immediately launched an investigation. The British man played "the role of the groom after being professionally made up to display a face completely different from his own," the prosecutor for the Meaux region Jean-Baptiste Bladier told AFP. French judicial authorities were informed by their British counterparts that the man "has been convicted in the past, notably for sexual offenses against minors," he added on Tuesday. The man is currently wanted by British authorities for failing to comply with his obligations as a registered sex offender. 'Significant irregularities' The authorities have designated a 24-year-old Latvian who played the role of the bride's sister at the event as an assisted witness. The prosecutor said investigations showed the "marriage" was in fact "a fictitious ceremony intended to be filmed privately." The Briton is suspected of "recruiting, with the help of a Latvian citizen, other Latvian nationals to ensure the smooth running of the event, as well as around 100 French extras, who were falsely presented to Disneyland Paris as wedding guests," the prosecutor said. The Ukrainian child, who arrived in France two days before the event, suffered "no violence, either physical or sexual" and "was not forced to play the role" of bride, the prosecutor had said at the weekend. According to the prosecutor, Disneyland Paris was deceived, with "the organizer impersonating a Latvian national and using false documents to secure the contract to hire the park." The event was scheduled to take place between 5:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. local time, outside public opening hours, on the privatized premises "at a total cost of €130,000," according to a police source who asked not to be named. But Disneyland Paris emphasized in a statement sent to AFP on Sunday that the event had been "immediately cancelled" by its teams "after the identification of significant irregularities." — AFP
