CARAGAN,

CLARI
SSEA.

BS-
CRI
MINOLOGY3/
BLOCK-
6

ASSI
GNMENTFORMODULEI
V:I
NTER-
AGENCYOPERATI
ON

LESSON4.
3WOMENANDCHI
LDRENRELATEDCASESWI
THDSWD(
WEEK14)

OnJune22,2005,
2t heCourtofAppeal s(CA)aff
ir
med theconvi
cti
onoft he
pet
it
ionerf
ort
hecr
imeofchi
ldabuseunderSect
ion10(
a)ofRepubl
icActNo.7610.

Thepetit
ionerasser
tsthathewasnotgui l
tyoft
hecri
mecharged;andt
hatev
en
assumingt hathewasgui l
ty,hi
sliabil
i
t yshoul
dbemiti
gat
edbecausehehadmerely
actedtoprotecthertwominordaughters.

OnJune26,2000,theProsecutor'
sOffi
ceofLegazpiCit
ychar
gedthepetit
ioneri
n
theRegionalTr
ialCourtwit
hchi l
dabuse.Hei salsoaccusedofutter
ingderogator
y
remarkstothel
atter
'sfamil
y.Prosecuti
onshowedthatJaysonDel
aCruz(Jayson)and
Roldan,hi
solderbrother
,bothmi nors,joi
nedtheprocessi
onfortheSantoNi ñoin
LegazpiCi
ty.

On appeal,Geor ge Bongalon ar
gued t hatthe RTC overl
ooked ordisr
egarded
mater
ialfactsandci rcumstancesinther ecordsthatwouldhav eledt oafavor
able
j
udgment.Heat tackedt helackofcredibil
i
tyofthewi t
nessespresentedagai
nsthim,
ci
ti
ng thef ai
lur
eoft hecompl ai
ning brotherstoreacttot heincident
,which was
unnat
uralandcontrarytohumanexper i
ence.

Chi
ldabuse,
thecr
imechar
ged,
isdef
inedbySect
ion3(
b)ofRepubl
i
cActNo.7610,
asf
oll
ows:

Sect
ion3.Def
ini
ti
onoft
erms

"Chi
ldAbuse"refer
stot hemal t
reatment,whetherhabi
tualornot
,oft hechil
dwhich
i
ncludesanyofthefol
lowing:Psychologi
calandphysi
calabuse,
neglect
, cr
uel
ty,
sexual
abuseandemot i
onalmaltr
eatment.