Butuan diocese looks into priest’s rape charge

A COMMITTEE has been to investigate allegations of rape made by an 18-year-old against a parish priest, the bishop in the Diocese of Butuan in Agusan del Norte has said.

The parish priest of St. Anne in Tubay town, Fr. Raul Cabonce, is facing charges of two counts of rape, child abuse and acts of lasciviousness, filed last Thursday at the provincial prosecutor’s office.

The complainant, a high school student who was a domestic worker at the convent, claimed the priest began molesting her in September last year and that she was raped on February 27 and then again on March 3. A third attempt allegedly was made on March 14 but the girl fought it off.

Bishop Juan de Dior Pueblos of Butuan said a recommendation will be issued after the investigation, though he offered no further details.

A local NGO helping the victim said Fr. Cabonce has been transferred to the bishop’s residence, but Bishop Pueblos declined to comment on the priest’s whereabouts or those of the alleged victim.

Fr. Cabonce has denied the allegations on numerous occasions. In a radio interview in July, he denied raping the girl and urged the public to “look into the background of the victim’s family.”

The complainant’s mother, a catechist friend of the priest, allowed her daughter to be taken under his care to do some chores in the convent in exchange for schooling.

The priest accused local politicians of orchestrating a campaign to destroy him because of his defense of mining activities in the town.

Report from ucanews.com