FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN

By Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio



A TALE OF TWO RAPE VICTIMS



Whenever a victim in a rape case changes her story and acquit the alleged rapist, there is no more case. That’s the storyline of the Daniel Smith-Nicole Rape Story.

Rape is a crime against the human being, not against the state unless it‘s a state-sponsored rape. I believe the Philippine government this time is not to blame for the sudden turn around of the Filipina accuser.

This incident as usual as time goes by reminds of me of an incident at Harlem Hospital in Manhattan during the early 80s when I was a department adminstrator of the medical/surgical units. One of the newly-hired batch of Filipino nurses was found one morning in a secluded area of the hospital premises lying unconscious. She was brought to emergency where initial findings apparently showed possible rape.

A very concerned Filipino nurse asked me to do something about it since the natural reaction of hospital management and security was a cover-up. A top hospital security approached one morning and warned me not to interfere with security matters.

Still I asked this concerned Filipino nurse (who I heard still works at the hospital) to give me copies of the well-kept hidden medical notes of the victim’s injuries on her private parts.

Then I talked to the victim and persuaded her to report the incident to the nearby police station in Harlem. She did make the report after I accompanied her to the station but later on decided not to proceed with filing a case of rape that happened in a city hospital premises. Her reason: She needed the nursing job very badly and she was scared of being deported if she fought the hospital management and security.

Now, tell me the moral lesson of the two similar rape stories.

End