MASINLOC, Zambales – A tricycle driver has admitted to raping and killing a 15-year old Filipino-American reported missing Tuesday afternoon and whose body was discovered Wednesday morning in a grassy portion of a mountain sitio in Masinloc, Zambales.

 

SPO1 Arnold Sunga, Masinloc police investigator, said tricycle driver Romulo Bulatao, Jr., 34, of Inhobol, Masinloc, admitted to raping and killing a 15-year-old girl from Tapuac, Masinloc.

 

“Na-rape daw niya minsan. Hinampas daw niya ng bato at kahoy sa ulo at ginilitan ang magkabilang pulso ng bata,” the investigator said.

 

Sunga said they conducted continuous follow-up operations and intelligence gathering until the victim’s body was recovered and the suspect arrested on Wednesday.

 

Orlando Cunanan, 66, was in tears as he recalled Gizelle not going home from school in the afternoon of Tuesday. “Kung ano ginawa sa apo ko, dapat ganoon din ang parusa sa pumatay sa kanya,” the old man said.

 

“Walang suot pang-ibaba ang apo ko at may laslas sa pulso at hampas sa ulo,” he said. The victim’s body was discovered at a grassy area in Sitio Maymayan in Barangay Inhobol.

 

Reports showed the victim and two classmates rode the suspect’s tricycle at 5:00 p.m. “Unang inihatid ng tricycle ang dalawang bata at dapat si Gizelle ang huling ihahatid pero sa ibang lugar pala dinala,” the grandfather said.

 

Cunanan said the victim’s mother is his stepdaughter who left the victim in their care since birth. 

 

“Mabait siyang bata at hindi palagala,” he said.

 

She was the only daughter of Arlene Canfield, 38, in her first marriage to an American. She is now married to 83-year old Robert Canfield, a British national and lives in Malate, Manila, Cunanan said. 

 

The Canfields begged off from being interviewed, saying they were depressed over the incident.

 

Cunanan said Canfield had been preparing adoption papers for the victim. The old man said her granddaughter visited the couple in Manila during vacations, while her mother and stepfather while visited Masinloc once in a while.

 

Vincent Egalloy, 15, the victim’s classmate at San Andres School of Masinloc, confirmed that she was with two other female classmates when she left school at 5:00 in the afternoon of Tuesday.

 

“Niyaya ko siyang magsimba pero ang sabi ihahatid niya dalawang kaklase namin at iyon na pala huling pagkikita namin,” Egalloy said.

 

“Mabait siya at pursigidong mag-aral at mahilig kumanta,” the student said. “Salamat  at dumating ka sa buhay namin. Sana mapunta ka sa piling ni Hesus,” he also said.

 

Police are set to file a complaint of rape with homicide against the tricycle driver, said Senior Inspector Pancho Doble, Masinloc police chief. — EE/JDS, GMA News