A regional trial court in Baguio has imposed multiple life terms and ordered substantial monetary damages against a Roman Catholic priest convicted of sexually assaulting a minor who was under his supervision.
In a decision promulgated on December 18, Judge Modesto D. Bahul Jr. of the Baguio City Regional Trial Court Branch 2 ruled that Father Mark Batolne was criminally liable for three separate counts of rape, each carrying the penalty of reclusion perpetua, equivalent to 20 to 40 years of imprisonment per count. The court also directed him to pay a combined ₱675,000 in civil indemnity, moral damages, and exemplary damages, exclusive of interest.
The ruling stemmed from assaults committed against a 16-year-old student-scholar in March 2023. Court records showed that the incidents took place inside a room within the Diocese of Baguio compound, where the teenager was staying at the time. Two of the attacks were classified as aggravated, with the court finding that a deadly weapon was involved.
Batolne, who previously held the positions of finance administrator of the Diocese of Baguio and general manager of the Mountain Province Broadcasting Company, denied the accusations during trial. He argued that his professional obligations left him little opportunity to commit the acts alleged. The court, however, rejected this defense, giving greater weight to the victim’s detailed and consistent testimony.
An arrest warrant had been issued against Batolne in 2023, but he evaded authorities for several months before surrendering in June 2024. Following his conviction, he was ordered to remain in custody at the Baguio City Jail while arrangements are made for his transfer to a national penitentiary.
The judgment places Batolne among a number of clergy members who have faced criminal convictions in Philippine courts for sexual offenses involving minors. Past cases include the life sentence imposed on Monsignor Arnel Lagarejos in 2021 for labor trafficking connected to the sexual exploitation of a child, as well as earlier convictions upheld by higher courts involving priests in Pampanga and Albay.
Legal observers point out that the Batolne decision reflects the courts’ continued enforcement of the Revised Penal Code and Republic Act No. 7610, even in cases involving religious figures, signaling that clerical status does not shield defendants from criminal accountability under secular law.
