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Manila Times

BAMBANG, Nueva Vizcaya: A Catholic school teacher here has been the subject of numerous complaints of alleged sexual harassments reportedly committed against some of his pupils of prominent families.

In their complaint before the children and women’s desk of the police office here, the eight Grade 5 and Grade 6 pupils of the Catholic Church-run Saint Catherine’s School here said that their teacher, Angelito Alipio, have made direct and indirect sexual advances against them by repeatedly stretching the straps of their underwear as well as fondling their shoulders and arms.

Accompanied by their parents and local social welfare personnel, the young complainants also claimed the suspect repeatedly uttered sexual remarks during their class.

SPO4 Revelita Marzan of the children and women’s desk at the police department said the alleged victims of sexual harassment, along with their parents, have alleged incidents officially recorded at their office in preparation of their formal filing of appropriate cases against the suspect before the court this week.

School officials, including the principal, Deanne Aduca, declined to issue any statement, saying investigations have been ongoing. They also denied they already terminated the services of the suspect so as to spare the school from embarrassment.

Earlier, unconfirmed reports said that school officials had allegedly already terminated the employment of the suspect as a result of the sexual harassment complaints.

– Francis C. Hidalgo Jr.

Armand Nocum
Inquirer

THE SANDIGANBAYAN has convicted a former Camarines Sur vice governor of sexual harassment for making sexual overtures to a woman stenographer who later sought the help of singer Imelda Papin, herself a former vice governor of the province.
Convicted to six months in prison was former Vice Gov. Crisanto Rances. He was also ordered to pay P40,000 in moral and exemplary damages to Elvira Cledera, whom Papin had given the job to at the provincial office.

In a 33-page decision, the Sandiganbayan Third Division threw out Rances’ blanket denial in favor of the testimony of Papin, to whom a crying Cledera had run to after Rances made sexual advances in August 1998.

Rances was said to have invited Cledera to his desk at the provincial capitol session hall and asked her to go to his house in Canaman, Camarines Sur, since only a maid and a houseboy were staying there.

“Rances started saying dirty words, telling Cledera that he and his wife had been separated for almost a month and his head was aching [because] he needed release for he had not done ['it'] for almost a month,” Papin said in her testimony.

Jolene Bulambot, Inquirer Visayas Bureau
Philippine Daily Inquirer

CEBU CITY-”Too light.” This was how the two women described the six-month suspension imposed by the Supreme Court on a Cebu judge for sexually harassing them on separate occasions in 2001.

Lawyer Gloria Lastimosa-Dalawampu said her clients Grace Veloso and Ma. Joeylynn Quiñoness would file a motion for reconsideration to seek the dismissal of Judge Anacleto Caminade who handled Branches 6 and 18 of the Cebu Regional Trial Court.

“My clients were dismayed because they expected a higher penalty. They were not just ordinary litigants but were directly working for the court so the judge had moral ascendancy over them,” Dalawampu said.

“The SC, in the previous cases of sexual harassment, had imposed the penalty of dismissal and forfeiture of all benefits. In our motion, we would pray for that,” she added.

Veloso is a lawyer at the Public Attorney’s Office while Quiñoness worked as a clerk at Caminade’s sala.

When sought for comment, Caminade told reporters on Thursday afternoon that he has yet to receive an official copy of the decision.

But the judge got irked when reporters asked if he would ask the high tribunal to reconsider. He then told reporters to get out of his “sala” (courtroom) without answering the question.