Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival has directed police to immediately arrest the suspect in the alleged rape of a female store employee in Barangay Basak-San Nicolas, saying the incident appears to be an isolated case and does not reflect a worsening peace and order situation in the city.
Archival issued the directive after the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) confirmed that investigators had identified the suspect and launched a hot pursuit operation for his arrest.
“My main directive is to make sure that we arrest him,” Archival said.
The mayor said he instructed police to focus on the operation while withholding details that could affect the ongoing manhunt.
He stressed that the suspect must be arrested and made to face the allegations against him.
“He committed a serious offense, and he has to face the consequences,” Archival said. “We have to show our constituents that our city will never tolerate these kinds of criminal acts.”
Despite public attention surrounding the case, Archival urged residents not to interpret the incident as a sign of declining peace and order in Cebu City.
He said available crime data continue to show that Cebu City remains among the local government units with relatively low crime rates, adding that the alleged rape should be treated as a separate incident.
“For me, this is an isolated case. It is not something that suggests there is already a pattern,” he said.
Archival also warned against unnecessarily amplifying isolated crimes and online threats, saying excessive attention could contribute to public fear or encourage copycat behavior.
He cited previous threats circulated through social media and text messages that were later found to involve isolated cases, including incidents involving minors.
The mayor also assured that the city government would provide assistance to the victim, particularly psychosocial support.
He said he instructed Cebu City Social Welfare and Development Officer Portia Basmayor to coordinate with the victim and assess the assistance the city can provide.
“Certainly, yes,” Archival said when asked if the city would help the victim recover from the trauma.
Archival likewise appealed to the public to refrain from posting comments that ridicule or blame the victim, stressing that survivors of sexual violence should receive support.
“The victim is already a victim of a terrible crime. We should not make her a victim again through ridicule,” he said.
The alleged rape happened in the early hours of July 7 inside a business establishment in Barangay Basak-San Nicolas that operates as a water refilling station during the day and a convenience store at night.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Franco Rudolf Oriol, deputy city director for administration of the CCPO, said only the victim and the suspect remained inside the establishment after other customers had left.
Police said the suspect allegedly threatened the victim with a knife before sexually assaulting her. The incident was captured by the establishment’s closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, which investigators used in identifying the suspect.
The victim has executed an affidavit and continues to cooperate with authorities, while the Mambaling Police Station prepares the documents needed for the filing of a rape complaint.
Authorities said the case will be formally filed once the suspect is arrested.
The suspect remains at large as police continue their hot pursuit operation.
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