Report: 75-year-old Bacolod resident gets 15 years for molesting child

A Bacolod City judge sentenced a 75-year-old resident to up to 15 years in jail for sexually molesting his then six-year-old neighbor who watched television in his house on New Year's Day in 2005. According to a report of the Visayan Daily Star on Tuesday, Bacolod Judge Ray Alan Drilon also ordered Edwardo Fernandez to pay the victim P60,000 or P30,000 each in civil indemnity and moral damages. “The court is thoroughly convinced of the credible, straightforward and direct testimony of the child victim who testified in no uncertain terms, that she was sexually abused by the accused by inserting his finger in her vagina," the report quoted Drilon as saying. The report said Drilon rejected Fernandez's denial, saying the child could not have been coached to give a false testimony. While charges of sexual assault had been lodged against Fernandez, the case which involved a minor, was considered a form of rape under Article 266-A of the Revised Penal Code. - VVP, GMA News