LIMAY, Bataan – Police on Friday reported the arrest of a man who confessed to having raped and killed his own 12-year-old cousin inside a boho farm in an upland village in Limay, Bataan a month ago.
Chief Insp. Crizalde Conde, Limay police chief, said farm worker Salvador Laguerta, 31, was charged for rape with homicide and brought for inquest at the Prosecutor’s Office in Balanga City.
Laguerta admitted raping and killing Arlene Daulat, 12. “Gumanti lang ako dahil pinatay ang tatay ko ng kapatid ng nanay ko. Napagbuntunan ko ng galit ang bata dahil kunsintidor ang mga kapatid ng nanay ko,” Laguerta said.
Conde said the father of the accused was allegedly killed in 2002 by Rodelio and Junifer Galapon. Junifer and the mothers of the accused and the victim are sisters. It was not clear what happened to the case.
“Ate Lin, pasensiya na kayo sa ginawa ko. Nakokonsensiya ako. Narito na ako sa bilangguan at papanagutan ko ito,” Laguerta said. Lin is Evangeline Daulat, mother of the dead child.
The suspect said he saw his cousin walking along the road and brought her to a boho farm in sitio Mamala, barangay St. Francis I in Limay town.
He said that the girl was begging to be freed after he raped her, promising that she would keep silent and not to tell anyone about what happened. “Hindi ako naniniwala na hindi siya magsusumbong kaya tinalian ko siya sa kamay at leeg at pinukpok ko ng kahoy ang ulo niya,” Laguerta said.
Searchers found Arlene dead lying flat on her stomach on a plastic mat with two hands tied with vines inside the boho farm three days after she was reported missing on March 8.
“Maganda at maayos ang pagkakatali sa mga kamay ng bata at napuna namin na magkatulad ang pagkakatali ng mga kahoy na panggatong sa bahay ng suspek,” the chief of police said. Conde said relatives of the victim also noticed the similarity and this triggered the arrest of the accused.
