Rape charge yet to be filedin Panicuason rape-slay rap

By Paulo DS Papa

The suspect in the rape-slay of an 18-year-old lass in Barangay Panicuason, Naga City five months ago has yet to be charged with rape.

Rosalie Muceros, a resident of Zone 4 of the said barangay, was found lifeless in a grassy lot in Zone 6 on November 28, Thursday. Police authorities confirmed through post-mortem examination that the victim had been raped and murdered.

Police Capt. Gil III Guban, then acting station commander of the Naga City Police Station 4, said the victim was raped and killed elsewhere before her body was dumped at the site where she was discovered.

He added that several persons of interest (POIs) were initially identified as individuals who had been with the victim prior to her death, but they were eliminated one by one as the investigation progressed.

Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo said in December that police had already zeroed in on one of the POIs as the suspect, although evidence against the alleged perpetrator remained insufficient. The city government also offered a P100,000 reward for credible information leading to the identification of the suspect.

On April 15 this year, police, together with the victim’s family, submitted documents to the City Prosecutor’s Office to file a murder case against the suspect, whose identity is being withheld pending further investigation.

PCapt. Jonathan Hapa, the newly designated station commander, said the suspect—also a resident of the same barangay—is under close monitoring.

He said witnesses have come forward regarding the murder, but a rape complaint has yet to be filed due to insufficient evidence and lack of witnesses directly linking the suspect to the sexual assault.

Hapa added that the police station remains open to individuals willing to cooperate and provide vital information regarding the rape that Muceros allegedly suffered before she was killed.

Muceros’ mother, Marites, 52, a member of the Agtang Tabangnon community, lamented that the murder charge alone is not enough.

She appealed to witnesses in the murder case to tell the truth and urged anyone with knowledge of the rape incident to come forward and assist authorities.

She stressed that as long as the suspect remains unpunished, the entire barangay—especially women—will continue to feel unsafe.