Police Captain Alevic Rentino, Station Commander of PNP Station 2, told PDN that the parents of the three minors personally appeared before them to ask assistance to rescue their children. The trio was rescued Sunday night in Barangay Mangingisda.
“Actually, yung mga magulang din ng tatlong minors na yun ang pumunta sa amin. Allegedly, kinukupkop daw sila ng isang Pastora sa isang religion, kaya agad naming pinuntahan at doon din ay na-rescue namin ang tatlo. Nasa 13 to 15 years old sila at ang dalawa ay magkapatid,” Capt. Rentino said in an interview.
Two suspects were arrested and invited to the city police for further investigation identified as Benjamin Nuñez, 56 years old, fish vendor and Mercedita Nuñez, 51 years old, Bible worker and both residents of Purok Bagong Silang, Barangay Mangingisda.
“Ano daw ang magagawa nila kung yung mga bata ay kusang pumupunta sa kanila at yun nga, for humanitarian consideration, kinukupkop nila ang mga bata para di na mapalayo. Pero ang nakikita naming hindi maganda ay dapat alam nilang minors ang involve, dapat nakipag-coordinate agad sila sa Barangay para in good faith atleast, hindi sila masabing inimpluwensyahan ang mga bata,” Rentino added.
As of the moment, the rescued minors were turned-over to their parents while the suspects were also released.
“Nakauwi na ang mga bata at ‘yung dalawa ay for regular filing nalang depende sa kung itutuloy ba talaga ng mga magulang ang pagsasampa ng kaso. Pinag-aaralan pa din namin kung ano ang tamang kaso ang isasampa dahil hindi naman s’ya papasok sa RA 7610,” said Police Capt. Rentino.
Meanwhile, Benjamin and Mercedita explained that they have no bad intentions in keeping under custody the minors.
They said that they asked to stay with them as they were beaten by their parents.
“Hindi po namin hino-hold ang mga bata, concerned lang kami kasi pinalayas daw sila at binubugbog,” the two Nuñezes insisted.