By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD CITY – The stepfather of a Grade 10 student from Barangay Sum-ag, who was recently found dead, has denied allegations linking him to her death.
The stepfather stated that he had nothing to do with the death of his stepdaughter. “I know in my heart that I did nothing wrong,” he said in a radio interview.
He expressed his willingness to face the accusations against him, asserting his innocence.
“To everyone judging me, I’ve come forward to clarify that I had no involvement in what happened to my stepdaughter,” he said.
He recalled being with the victim’s mother, who is his live-in partner, when they learned about the victim’s disappearance on July 29.
He also accompanied her to Police Station 9 to report the girl missing on July 30.
According to reports, the stepfather left their home due to a family problem before the victim’s body was discovered in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental, on August 14.
Despite leaving, he said he remained in contact with his live-in partner.
He explained that he came forward only after learning that he was being tagged as a person of interest in his stepdaughter’s death and after rumors spread on social media about him being missing during the investigation.
“I’m worried because the public’s attention is all on me. I’m afraid they might harm me because I’m being accused of doing this to my stepdaughter,” he said, adding that he has received threats to his life.
He also claimed to have had a good relationship with his stepdaughter and was shocked by the tragedy.
When he decided to come forward, he visited his live-in partner to discuss their family issues before seeking protective custody with a law enforcement agency.
He stated that he fears for his safety and that of his family, which led him to seek assistance from the authorities.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the local police are conducting separate investigations into the case.
However, the local police have yet to comment or provide significant updates on the investigation.
The body of the teenage student was found in a sugarcane field in Barangay Cubay, La Carlota City, on August 14, two weeks after she was last seen alive when she attended a half-day class at her school on July 29.
Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez has offered a P50,000 cash reward for any information that could help the police solve the case.