Man who kept daughters as "sex slaves" falls

CEBU, Philippines - A 50-year-old man was arrested for allegedly hurting and keeping his two daughters as sex slaves for many years.

Operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-7, armed with a copy of the complaint filed by the mother of the victims, arrested the suspect at his house in Barangay Dos, Tuburan town, last Thursday.

Supt. Ritchie Posadas, assistant regional director of CIDG-7, said the suspect started raping the victims, now aged 17 and 12, since they were still 13 and eight years old, respectively.

In 2003 their mother brought them and their two brothers to live with her and a widower in Camotes in 2003.

The suspect went to Camotes and killed the widower later that year after hearing rumors the widower was allegedly raping his daughters, which they denied.

The suspect was imprisoned but released in 2005 after the case was settled with the family. After his release, the suspect took back the children from the mother and sent them to school.

He allegedly started raping both girls until last Monday, the mother, who visited the children from time to time, learned of the matter.

The 17-year-old wrote a letter and her elder brother gave it to their mother who visited them that day.

The mother went back to Camotes and since she is illiterate, she asked a sibling to read the letter.

In the letter, her daughter revealed that their father has been raping her and the 12-year-old since they were young and she only had the courage to reveal it this late as they were threatened by the suspect that all of them, including their mother, will be killed if they did not keep it a secret.

The content of the letter allegedly shocked the mother as she thought her former live-in-partner had good intentions for his own children.

They went to the CIDG-7 and filed a complaint last Thursday afternoon, leading to the arrest of the suspect at about 7 p.m. that same day.

Insp. Ferdie Mendoza, head of the Investigation Branch, and Insp. Lirio Coral, head of the Women’s and Children’s Center, led the arrest.

The suspect denied the allegations against him, saying that the mother of the girls only wanted to avenge her partner whom he killed.

At the CIDG-7 office, the 17-year-old started crying when asked by reporters what pushed her to confess. In tears, she said, “Wala na ko maka-agwanta sa iyang gibuhat.”

The 12-year-old also said that her father must be imprisoned so that he will not abuse them again.

“Dili na maayo iyang gibuhat namo. Kinahanglan na siya mapriso,” she said. She was allegedly the one who urged her elder sister to finally inform their mother of what was happening to them.

The victims were submitted to a medical examination at the Pink Room of the Department of Social Welfare and Services.

Posadas said they will file a case for rape before the provincial prosecutor’s office on Monday against the suspect who is now detained at the CIDG-7 stockade. (THE FREEMAN)