BAGUIO (PHILIPPINES)
Philippine Star [Manila, Philippines]
December 19, 2025
By Artemio Dumlao
In a decision promulgated yesterday, Judge Modesto Bahul Jr. of the Regional Trial Court Branch 2 convicted Mark Batolne of three counts of rape, sentencing him to 20 to 40 years in prison for each count.
BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — A family court here sentenced a priest to life in prison for the rape of a 16-year-old student-scholar in 2023.
In a decision promulgated yesterday, Judge Modesto Bahul Jr. of the Regional Trial Court Branch 2 convicted Mark Batolne of three counts of rape, sentencing him to 20 to 40 years in prison for each count.
Prosecution lawyer Jose Adrian Bonifacio said the sexual assaults occurred in March 2023 in a room occupied by the student.
The court said the sexual assaults were aggravated by the use of a deadly weapon and its occurrence inside a building within the diocese’s compound.
The victim testified that she was raped six times in March 2023, a testimony the court described as credible and consistent, in contrast with the priest’s denial and claim that he was preoccupied with diocesan duties.
Batolne served as finance administrator of the diocese and general manager of the Catholic-run Mountain Province Broadcasting Co. and the Montanosa Pastoral Resources, which manages Porta Vaga mall beside the Baguio Cathedral.
He went into hiding after the victim reported the assaults and surrendered in June 2024, nearly a year after the warrant of arrest was issued.
Aside from imprisonment, the court ordered Batolne to pay P75,000 in civil indemnity for each count, P75,000 in moral damages and P75,000 in exemplary damages.
By Artemio Dumlao – The Philippine Star