NBI Bacolod chief accused of sexual harassment

MANILA, Philippines — The head of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Bacolod was accused of sexually harassing a 20-year-old complainant in his office, an online news site reported Wednesday. Visayan Daily Star (www.visayandailystar.com) reported that the complainant lodged the complaint Tuesday afternoon before the city prosecutor's office. But NBI Bacolod chief Mamerto Cortez denied the allegations and said he will file a countersuit against the woman, whose charges against him included acts of lasciviousness and oral defamation. The woman, accompanied by members of militant women's group Gabriela in filing the complaint, said the incident started July 31 when she went to the NBI Bacolod office to lodge a complaint against her husband for physically and verbally abusing her. She said she was looking for Cortez but since he was not there, NBI special investigator Cyrus Aluzan assisted her. She then returned to the NBI to follow up her case, she said. But while at the NBI office last Aug. 16, she said Cortez allegedly called her to go inside his office where she expected that he would update her. The woman claimed Cortez rubbed her back, closed and locked the door, embraced her and touched her private parts. She said she forced herself away from him and ran toward the back of the NBI office. The complainant said she was afraid and ashamed to tell anyone what had just happened. She said she later heard Cortez telling special investigator Cyrus Aluzan, who had assisted her, to avoid accommodating her because she is a woman of ill repute and could cause rumors against the NBI. But Cortez denied the allegations of the complainant, saying he believes that they came from Aluzan, who is her friend. Cortez said he had a heated argument with Aluzan on another matter last Oct. 27 and that Aluzan nearly drew his firearm during the argument. He said the incident had prompted him to move for the transfer of Aluzan to Tacloban for insubordination. - GMANews.TV