PHILIPPINES
The Manila Times
BY NEIL ALCOBER, TMT ON JULY 31, 2017
MARIKINA City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro on Monday gave assurance that the truth will not be concealed in the investigation of Monsignor Arnel Lagarejos, who was caught with a 13-year-old girl while on the way to a motel in Marikina City.
“There will be no whitewash on the case. No pressure [from the Catholic church],” Teodoro told The Manila Times in a phone interview.
He also urged parents to monitor their children’s use of social media, citing the growing incidence of sex crimes in the country associated with the popularity of Facebook and other social sites.
Senior Supt. Roger Quesada, Marikina police chief, said Lagarejos had brought the girl twice to a motel on separate dates and paid her P2,500 each time.
The priest is now detained at the Marikina City jail and facing charges for violation of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.
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