BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—Provincial officials have asked the Provincial Peace and Order Council to probe the reported increase of rape incidents that do not reach the proper courts in upland communities and intensify multisectoral efforts in the government’s campaign to reduce these cases.
Sta. Fe Mayor Liwayway Caramat said rape incidents in their municipality “are blocked and unserved with proper justice” because of the traditional practice of indigenous peoples to settle these crimes within their communities.
“There are cases of this magnitude in our town that are settled through the cultural practice of our tribes, and therefore it does not provide justice for the victims,” Caramat bared in a PPOC meeting.
Quezon Mayor Dolores Binwag backed Caramat’s claim, saying there were similar cases in her town. The Philippine National Police recently reported the rise of rape cases, some incestuous, in IP communities in the upland municipalities.