A 60-year-old construction worker was arrested in Baseco, Manila on Saturday for alleged rape of his stepdaughter, which police said went on repeatedly for three years.
Baseco Police Station commander Police Lieutenant Colonel Emmanuel Gomez said the accused was arrested by virtue of a warrant for statutory rape.
The victim’s father stood as the complainant in the case, he added.
Citing police investigation, Gomez said the victim was allegedly raped by her stepfather “two to three times a month” from when she was 11 years old up to when she reached the age of 14.
In June 2024, the accused supposedly made another attempt to rape the victim, but the latter declined.
“Kahit ayaw niya, tinatakot siya na papatayin ‘yung kanyang kapatid, pati ‘yung magulang niya…Hindi na raw siya pag-aaralin at susuportahan sa pag-aaral…So sa takot niya, pinabayaan niyang maging lihim ‘yung nangyari sa kanya,” Gomez said.
(Even if she didn’t want to, he was threatening her—that her siblings and even her parents would be killed and that he’d stop supporting her schooling. Fearing this, she kept mum about what was happening to her.)
But, according to the police, she was still raped then, which pushed her to run away from home.
Gomez said her school teacher noticed her series of absences from class, prompting her to look for her student.
After seeking information from the victim’s classmates, the teacher found her in a place authorities did not disclose for the safety of the victim.
“Nagsumbong siya sa kanyang guro na naabuso siya nang napakahabang panahon—tatlong taon siyang minomolestiya ng kanyang stepfather,” Gomez said.
(She told her teacher that she was being abused for a long time— that her own stepfather was molesting her for three years now.)
Police said the victim underwent a medical examination, which yielded results positive for rape.
But the victim’s stepfather denied the allegations.
He said this all stemmed from a family issue that escalated because he would repeatedly scold the victim over her attitude and actions.
“Nagulat ako. Galing ako sa trabaho. Pagdating ko, hinuli ako. Hindi ko alam ang kasalanan ko. Wala, ma’am. Hindi totoo ‘yan,” said the accused.
(I was shocked. I came from work. When I got home, I was arrested. I didn’t know what I did wrong. No, ma’am. It isn’t true.)
A complaint for statutory rape has been filed against the accused, who is now detained at the Baseco Police Station.
The victim, meanwhile, will undergo counseling with the assistance of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. —KG, GMA Integrated News
