mmalabanan
LOS BANOS, Laguna- Three years after the rape and death of Given Grace Cebanico, another University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) student was raped in almost the same location where Cebanico was assaulted.
According to UPLB Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs Dr. Enrique Tolentino Jr., the victim is a 17-year-old female university student. Her identity is undisclosed.
The family of the victim has requested the Los Baños police not to disclose any details.
Tolentino narrated that the victim left the campus at around 9pm on Wednesday, October 15. The female student then rode a tricycle in Baranggay Maahas in going home to Baranggay Paciano Rizal.
At around 11 pm, the victim was able to send a text message to her mother, informing that she was located in Sitio Buot of Mainit.
However, the driver stopped the tricycle reasoning that it was already out of gasoline. The assailant then held a weapon against the victim and took her to the dim area of IPB road in Putho-Tungtungin.
Tolenino said the driver even asked the girl to pay the fare.
She was later on found walking alone by a security guard.
Barangay chief of Putho-Tuntungin Ronald Oñate stressed that the crime occurred almost in the same spot were Cebanico was raped and killed.
Los Banos Police Chief Supt. Ricardo Dalmacia assured that a police investigation has already began. Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in the Calabarzon, the local police, as well as University officials are working together to solve the latest rape case in the town.
In October 2011, Cebanico, a Computer Science major, was raped and murdered in Apec Road, a place very near IPB road. A court trial is still ongoing for suspects Percival de Guzman, the tricycle driver who allegedly picked up Cebanico on the night she went missing, and Lester Ivan Lopez , a bank security guard.
Is UPLB still safe?
Still, Tolentino reiterated that the campus is safe, saying strict measures were being executed even before the latest rape incident took place.
He said that there are security guards roving around the campus to secure 13,000 UPLB students. Tolentino added that there lampposts inside the university.
“I always tell them (students) that security is everybody’s concern”
Furthermore, the UPLB executive said the crime occurred outside the university.
