By Yas Ocampo

DAVAO CITY – The Davao City Council committee on health has asked the city council to look into reports of an increase in the number of rape cases in Davao.

The report comes after the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) downplayed the data, and called the issue values-related, with most occurring within the confines of homes.

Councilor Mary Joselle Villafuerte, who chairs the committee on health, invited agencies in charge of the welfare of women and children to an inter-agency meeting.

Invited were representatives from the council committees on Women and Children, Peace and Order and Public Safety, and Committee on Education, to organize a multi-agency consultative meeting in aid of legislation to see what measures are already in place and what else can be done.

“They say incest rape is a silent unspeakable secret of Filipino families,” Villafuerte said. “We must not allow this to remain secret nor must we continue to be silent.”

Villafuerte noted reports that while Davao City ranked fourth lowest in terms of crime, it had the highest number of rape cases.

The committee on health sought the data from the DCPO, through spokesperson Sr. Insp. Ma. Theresita Gaspan.

“The data submitted was alarming,” Villafuerte said.

According to police data, the most number of rape cases occurred in the area of operation of the Talomo Police Station, which covers areas from Catlunan Pequeno to Maa.

The second most number of cases occurred in areas covered by the Toril Police Station.

For the first half of 2018, a majority of the victims were children.

The DCPO also said that the crimes were reported in the confines of homes, with relatives in the influence of alcohol as perpetrators.

Out of 95 recorded offenders, only 33 were perpetrators who were not related to the victims.

Perpetrators included fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, uncles, boyfriends, cousins, friends, and brothers.