Cebu reporter accuses police chief of sexual harassment

CEBU CITY, Philippines—A local daily in Cebu on Wednesday filed an administrative complaint of misconduct against a police official before the Police Regional Office (PRO 7) for allegedly making sexual advances on a female correspondent of the paper.

Cebu Daily News (CDN) publisher and acting editor-in-chief Eileen Mangubat, accompanied by legal counsel Haide Acuña, filed an administrative complaint for misconduct against the Talisay City Police Station chief, Superintendent Henry Biñas, with the office of PRO 7 director, Chief Superintendent Ager Ontog.

CDN correspondent Carmel Loise Matus stated in her affidavit that Biñas touched her breast and tried to kiss her after an interview on February 8, 2010 inside the police official’s office.

In her sworn statement, Matus stated that she was with radio reporter Robert Sabequil in the office of Biñas at around 9 a.m. on February 8 to get updates on the case of Joavan Fernandez, the highly controversial son of Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez.

Matus said that after the interview, they asked permission to leave so they could attend the 10 a.m. session of the city council.

Matus said Sabequil was the first to get out of the office while she stood up to get her bag from the chair.

When she was about to leave the room, Biñas grabbed her wrist and then appeared to be trying to kiss her on the cheek and touched her right breast.

Matus said she was shocked and felt confused, and as she moved away from Biñas, the latter pinched her tummy.

But Biñas, 42, a lawyer and a married man with two children, denied the accusation.

Biñas said he did not touch the breast of Matus and he did not intend to kiss her.

“It’s true that I held her shoulder to keep her in the office in jest but I did not intend to harass her. There was no malice intended,” according to Biñas, who hails from Iloilo and has served as chief of Talisay City police station for the past two years.

Biñas said it was unfortunate that his joke was misinterpreted.

“It was in good faith. If she was offended, I’m sorry,” Binas said, adding that he would be willing to talk with Matus in front of the CDN publisher to clarify things.

Matus also said that Biñas had called her four times after the incident but she did not answer the calls.

She added that she felt “extremely violated and humiliated” and had trouble sleeping and concentrating on her work.

“Just thinking about the traumatic experience brings so much pain to my being,” Matus said.

On the other hand, Mangubat asked Ontog to take swift action on the complaint and for Biñas to refrain from approaching Matus or sending emissaries or messages, pending the resolution of the case.

Mangubat also gave assurances that the CDN would continue to report news from Biñas’ office with fairness and independence.

Cebu Daily News is one of the publications of the Inquirer publishing group. –Jhunnex Napallacan, Inquirer Visayas