"All men are rapists and that's all they
are. They rape us with their eyes, their laws, and their codes." Marilyn French
By Alex P. Vidal
Now that 66-year-old Himamaylan City Councilor
Harry C. Sian has been formally charged in the city prosecutor’s office for
violation of Republic Act 7610 or Anti Child Abuse Act, life will never be the
same again for Rosalie (not her real name) and her family.
Rosalie, 16, a housemaid, accused Sian, a rich
and prominent haciendero in Negros Occidental, of raping her on several
occasions for two years.
The alleged rapes happened sometimes inside the
car, in the suspect’s house, and in motels. A sex slave?
Rosalie and her mother did not immediately
report the matter to the police for fear of reprisal and eviction because they
used to stay in the suspect’s hacienda, it was learned.
Even before Sian was charged, there were fears
that Rosalie’s decision to come out in the open and pinpoint Sian as her
alleged rapist would be an exercise in futility because she is fighting a
Goliath.
Rosalie and her family must have evaluated and
anticipated the possible consequences they would face once Sian’s name has been
mentioned in the media.
CAST
Now that the die is cast, there should be no
retreat and no surrender.
As expected, Sian would deny Rosalie’s
allegations. As expected, Sian’s camp would mount a counter accusation to
impeach the girl’s credibility.
The first volley came from Sian’s lawyer, Pietro
Villarin, who claimed that the girl “only wanted money.”
Sian, the lawyer said, was the girl’s “third
victim” whatever that means. Villarin did not elaborate.
We have heard this line before in other rape
cases involving children who come from poor families.
The message is loud and clear.
Sian’s camp is crying extortion.
The best defense is offense, as the saying goes.
Sensational cases involving poor victims against
rich and powerful personalities usually prosper when there are no settlements;
when witnesses cooperate from start to finish and refuse to be intimidated and
bribed; and when the cases are closely monitored by the media.
If the case goes into trial, Sian’s goose is
cooked politically speaking.
Guilty or not, public opinion would be cruel
against his favor.
CULTURE
In our culture, we sympathize with the poor, the
powerless and defenseless children like Rosalie.
Each time cases like Rosalie’s surface in mass
media, we remember the Tagalog telenovela Flordeluna; we remember the abused
and exploited women and children working in the haciendas of tart-tongued
mestiza and mestizo colonial landlords and landladies.
We remember inhuman treatment by the mighty and
privileged against the destitute and downtrodden.
If she is telling the truth, Rosalie deserves
all the support from all sectors of society, especially the women and human
rights associations in Himamaylan City.
In numerous cases involving rapes, physical and
mental abuse, and all forms of violence against women and children committed by
moneyed and powerful characters, we seldom see a Rosalie coming out bravely to
seek for justice.
In most cases, the victims would opt to keep quite and forget
their nightmares rather than risk being pilloried and made to endure a long
litigation they can't afford to sustain financially.
JUSTICE
In our society where justice can be bought and
truth can be twisted by the glitters of money and gold, the sight of a poor
Rosalie fighting against odds is already a whiff of fresh air for those who
pursue justice against conventional wisdom that you can’t topple the powerful,
well-connected and well-oiled litigant in a protracted legal battle.
Sian deserves to be given his day in court. He
will always be presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
With his power and wealth, he is still
considered to be in the advantage position.
The Bible tells us not to judge our fellowmen.
He who has not sinned should cast the first stone.
When we judge others, we will be judged
according to the barometer we used in judging others.
For Rosalie, win or lose, hell has just begun.
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