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CEBU CITY, Philippines - Rape and child abuse charges were filed on Monday against a computer engineer who was arrested by police in Cebu City based on the accounts of three boys, aged 13 and 14.
Engineer Lewis Sotto Dacanay, 36, denied the allegations against him.
He was accompanied by his lawyer during the filing of the complaint with the prosecutor’s office on Monday.
He was still detained at the stockade of the Cebu City police last night following his arrest Sunday.
Dacanay was temporarily residing in Winland Tower in Barangay (village) Camputhaw, Cebu City, where the alleged molestation took place.
Dacanay was charged with two counts of rape in relation to Republic Act 7610 or the Child Abuse Law, one count of violation of RA 7610, one count of act of lasciviousness and one count of serious illegal detention.
Senior Police Officer 1 Filomeno Mendaros said Dacanay filed a waiver of detention and has 10 days or until November 6 to submit his counter-affidavit.
Mendaros said Dacayan, who is a manager in a computer programming company in Cebu City, was from Manila.
The engineer declined to issue any statement to the press but police said he earlier denied the allegations against him.
Police said three complainants have come forward so far. Two of them are 13 years old and the third is a 14-year-old.
Dacanay allegedly took nude photos and videos of the boys and posted them on the Internet.
In their sworn affidavits, the three boys claimed they were paid or enticed with promises of gifts to have sex with Dacanay.
One boy said he was given P500 by the suspect who took pictures of the youth naked then molested him in his apartment last November of 2007.
Another boy, who said he knew the accused through his friend, said he was detained in a hotel room from February 17 to 21 this year, which is also the basis of the serious illegal detention charge.
The youths said they were paid P500 to P1,000 and were also given gifts like shoes and cellphones.
One of the boys confided about their situation to barangay Captain Nida Cabrera who sought the help of the police.
Dacanay was arrested on Sunday afternoon in an entrapment operation in Lahug.
One of the boys led police to a place in the Asiatown IT Park where they would usually meet Dacanay.
Mendaros said the accused earlier contacted one of the boys in a chat session, so the police were able to set up the entrapment.
According to Mendaros, the Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) is looking into accounts of the boys that Dacanay had an adult male accomplice.
