Rape cases up in Iloilo

ILOILO CITY
Sept. 7, 2014


While authorities today concentrate on illegal drugs, another crime appears to be on the rise – rape and sexual
assaults against women.

This year’s rate in rape incidents in Iloilo is higher than the 2013 figure, reports from the Philippine National Police show.

One hundred fifty-three women were raped in Iloilo Province in 2013, records from the PNP Children and Women’s Desk shows. That means, a woman is raped every 2.3 days in the period.

But the frequency increased in the first semester (January – June) this year with 104 incidents, or one raped in 1.7 days.

 The report does not cover other forms of sexual abuse on women.

Iloilo Province (pop. 1.8 million) has 42 towns and one component city. Passi City tops the list with 11 rape incidents followed by Miagao town with 10. New Lucena, Pototan, San Enrique, Carles and San Dionisio have seven each.

Passi and Miagao maintained their rankings in the first semester this year, with 10 and six respectively, followed by Dumangas and Lambunao towns with five cases each.


The report did not show the ages of the victims nor their relations with their attackers.

The source at the PNP cautions the media from tagging Passi City (50 km north of this city) and Miagao (40 km south) as “rape capitals” of the province.

“Reports on rape more likely than not, might be mere tip of the iceberg, so called,” said the source. “Many victims prefer to suffer in silence fearing they and their families might be exposed to public embarrassment if they reported to the police.”

Last year, 63 rape cases were filed in court, this year 32 as of June, in Iloilo Province. Criminal complaints for sex crimes may be filed by the victims, their parents and guardians, social workers and the police.


The regional office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) runs a refuge center for battered women but not one for rape victims who are also in need of professional psycho-social intervention to heal.

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