ANGELES CITY – The president of the first-ever public college here was charged before the Department of Justice (DOJ) on October 12 for violation of the law on the abuse, exploitation and discrimination of children involving a 16-year-old female college student here in 2006.
Averell Laquindanum, president of the nearly completed City College of Angeles (CCA) which started operating early this year in a temporary campus, was accused of violation of Sec. 3 of Republic Act 7610, otherwise known as the “Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.”
He was charged by a Pampanga-based businessman and his daughter, who was aged 16 then and a freshman college student at the Holy Angel University (HAU) here.
In the complaint-affidavit, the victims accused Laquindanum of “actuations” contributing to the alleged 32 counts of rape against a minor (daughter) filed against his friend and colleague, former HAU professor Arnel Ocampo, who is now at the district jail here facing trial.
Ocampo was formerly under the HAU College of Arts and sciences of which Laquindanum was the dean.
A warrant of arrest was issued against Ocampo in November 2009 and in the same month of the following year was expatriated from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
“It is clear that the actuations of respondent (Laquindanum) clearly debased me as a child then and have led me into the sexual abuse committed by Ocampo upon me,” said the victims in their affidavits to stress the alleged involvement of Laquindanum in “opening the opportunities to sexually harassed and abused the daughter beginning October 2006.”
REVENGE
In a phone interview on Thurdsay, Laquindanum said “it’s difficult to comment because I have yet to receive a copy of the complaint against me”
He said he could “only surmise” that it could be a retaliation for the libel case he filed against the father in June 13.
Laquindanum said the father earlier wrote a letter to Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan, the city council, Bishop Pablo Virgilio “Ambo” David and the Gabriela women’s group accusing the former dean of “dating” his minor HAU students and taking them home past midnight.
The father also protested the appointment of Laquindanum as president of the CCA.
Laquindanum said the accusers could be “trying to connect and involve” him in the rape cases as former dean in the college where Ocampo was a member of the faculty.
In the affidavit-complaint obtained Wednesday, the victim cited an incident in September 2006 when Laquindanum prevented her and her fellow student from going home early after she was duped supposedly of meeting with friends and instead met the then HAU dean and Ocampo.
“We went to a restaurant in Balibago called Skylark. Gina (name of other student, not her real name) rode with respondent as they led the way while I was surprised and almost backed out when I was instructed by respondent to ride with Ocampo in going to Skylark restaurant. Again, I nonetheless followed because he was a dean at our school.
It was respondent Laquindanum that chose Skylark restaurant,” said the daughter in the affidavit submitted to State Prosecutor Cesar Calubag at the DOJ Manila office.
“I was made to sit beside Ocampo by Laquindanum. He then ordered Gina to sit beside him. Gina and I asked about our two other classmates, Karla and Gerald.
We were supposed to be with these two other classmates who were still in school but Ocampo and respondent told us that one of them will fetch these two other classmates later on,” she added.
“At around 9PM, my parents called me on my cell phone. As it was ringing, respondent Laquindanum ordered me to turn my cell phone off,” the daughter said.
“Respondent Laquindanum instructed me again to turn my cell phone off, seconded by Ocampo, and said “huwag muna (do not)” – referring to my insistence to go home. Respondent then said, “just tell your parents your cellphone’s battery was discharged,” she added.
The daughter said her parents were worried because “it is her first time not to answer our calls or texts immediately and they did not know her whereabouts.”
The father, on the other hand, accused Laquindanum of telling him in their recent encounter that he (Laquindanum) could not be “touched” in Angeles City. He added that Laquindanum bragged to him about his influence in the Angeles City Justice Hall.
