Police arrest stepfather
for 'molesting' 6-year-old

A sidewalk vendor in Toboso, Negros Occidental, was arrested by the police for allegedly molesting his 6-year-old stepdaughter in Brgy. Sum-ag, Bacolod City, at about 10 p.m. Thursday.

Arrested was Lando Salem, 32, whose wife accused him of molesting her daughter several times, police reports said.

Salem told the DAILY STAR in an interview that his wife was only making up stories and denied that he had touched the girl.

He said he and his wife lived in Toboso, but decided to move to Bacolod because of poverty. Last December, he, his wife and their children conducted house-to-house caroling in Bacolod to earn some money.

He said they are temporarily staying in their friend's house in Brgy. Sum-ag. He said his wife has a daughter, 6, and a son, 4, from her first live-in partner, and they have a 2-year-old daughter and a 3-month-old baby boy.

On Thursday, he and his wife were drinking whiskey when she got drunk and they engaged in a heated argument. She then accused him of raping her daughter and sought police help.

The girl was subjected to medical examination at the Bacolod City Health Office yesterday, while Salem is now detained in the lock-up cell of Police Station 9.

The Bacolod Women and Children Concern's Desk is still investigating the case.*DMG

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PNP to deputize
239 tanods

Bacolod police director, Senior Supt. Ronilo Quebrar, said yesterday that 238 barangay tanods will be deputized in different barangays in Bacolod City as paramilitary or police auxiliary forces to address insurgency, terrorism and other serious threats to the security of the city.

The Bacolod police will train and deputize barangay tanods to help in the anti-insurgency campaign of the police, Quebrar said. The barangay tanods will serve as auxiliary forces of the police and will help them in their operations against crimes and lawlessness, he added.

Earlier, Quebrar had requested for a budget of P16.2 million for the Internal Security Operation Plan of Bacolod City from the Sangguniang Panlungsod. This was opposed by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Negros, that has been identified by the police as an umbrella organization of the Communist Party of the Philippines /New People's Army.

Quebrar said the P16.2 million proposed budget will cover the expenses of organization and training of barangay tanods and their benefits, equipment, construction of outposts, inventory and registration of their firearms, operational support to PNP cadres, legal offensive, enhancing of intelligence gathering, peace and order council meeting and Special Weapon and Tactics team training and equipment.

Police intelligence reports show sporadic sightings of armed groups in barangays in the outskirts of the city.

Barangay tanods will be deputized in barangays like Alangilan, Handumanan, Cabug, Vista Alegre, Felisa and Granada, he said.*DMG

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