Authorities are finalizing the filing of charges against a 40-year-old man who assaulted a 13-year-old girl by hitting her face with a stone and attempting to rape her in Barangay Campanun-an, Mabinay, Negros Oriental.
The incident happened at around 6:00 AM on Tuesday while the girl was on her way to school, when the suspect, identified as Nelson Nasario, suddenly dragged her into a sugarcane field.
Two male students walking behind the victim witnessed the abduction.
The two boys immediately sought help from Barangay Tanods, who responded quickly and found the girl inside a hole approximately one meter deep.
Nasario had reportedly spent two months digging the hole.
The girl was discovered without her skirt, her upper uniform unbuttoned, and with multiple facial injuries after the suspect attacked her with a stone.
In an interview with Bombo Radyo Bacolod, Police Lt. Stephen Polinar, Public Information Officer of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office, confirmed that with the help of local police, barangay tanods, and CAFGU, the suspect was arrested at around 3:00 PM on Tuesday.
Authorities are still awaiting the results of the medico-legal examination to determine if the suspect sexually assaulted the victim.
Polinar also revealed that Nasario had previously been imprisoned for raping his own daughter from a previous marriage.