KUWAITI TRAFFIC POLICEMAN WHO RAPED SOUTH COTABATO GIRL GETS DEATH PENALTY

By Maxxy Santiago, ABS-CBN Middle East News Bureau

KUWAIT CITY – The Kuwait Court of First Instance has sentenced to death by hanging a Lance Corporal at the General Traffic Department for raping and attempting to kill a Filipina in 2012.

“Masaya ako nakamtan ko na ang justice ng buhay ko. Kasi sa nangyari ba sa buhay ko malapit na two years ang paghihintay sa kaso ko. Masayang-masaya ako kasi pinaglaban ko dignity ng buhay ko,” the 29-year-old Marissa, not her real name, said.

Marissa, a native of T’Boli, South Cotabato, was deployed to Kuwait on September 12, 2006 to work as a household service worker for three years. She later worked at a dress shop in Farwaniya.

Based on her account, on the night of September 30, 2012, Marissa and her female friend were leaving a mall along the Sixth Ring Road. They were inside a cab on their way home to Farwaniya when they were stopped by the suspect who alighted from the police car.

Unfortunately, her residence visa just expired and it was still being renewed by her new sponsor. The suspect let her friend go as she still had a valid visa. She, on the other hand, was taken by the suspect to the police car.

Instead of bringing her to the police station, he drove her to a dark deserted place in South Surra where he allegedly raped her inside the police patrol car. He used a Swiss knife to stab her on the neck and back.

She was left bleeding and almost dead along the road. Marissa was confined at the Intensive Care Unit at the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital for two days.

She had to wear a thoracic-lumbar brace on her back for about six months and had difficulty in walking. She has been staying temporarily at the Filipino Workers Resource Center (FWRC) while her case was being heard.

Marissa, along with her friend and the taxi driver, positively identified the suspect from the police line-up that resulted to his arrest.

According to the case records, the accused pretended to be psychologically unstable, however, the Kuwait Psychiatric hospital proved otherwise.

“Una sa lahat nagpapasalamat ako kay God kasi lahat ng hiniling ko, nakikinig siya sa panalangin ko. Hindi ko ma-explain. Masayang-masaya talaga ako at nagpapasalamat talaga ako sa lahat ng tumutulong sa akin, sa embassy, sa POLO-OWWA, kay Consul General Raul Dado. Sa abugado ko dati si Sheikha Fawzia Al-Sabah, at sa pangalawang abugado ko, sa abugado ng embassy na siyang nag pro-proseso ng kaso ko. Hindi naman nila ako pinapabayaan,” Marissa said.

She vowed to fight for her case even if the suspect appeals the court’s verdict before the Court of Appeals.

“Hindi ako papayag kasi hindi ko naman ginusto ang nangyari sa buhay ko tapos hihingi ng settlement? Kung pwede lang, sa ginawa niya sa akin gagantihan ko. Nagpapasalamat ako sa Panginoon na di pa nya ako kinuha,” she said.

With the court’s death verdict, Marissa urged all women who were raped and whose rights were violated to continue fighting for their rights.

‘Kung gusto nyo na makamtan ang hustisya para sa buhay nyo, always pray to God, huwag mawalan ng pag-asa, lahat naman ng problema ay may solusyon.” she shared.

(Photo caption: Marissa shows her healed neck. She was stabbed repeatedly in the neck by the suspect after raping her.)