Man charged for rape

CEBU, Philippines - A 38-year-old man is facing charges before the court for allegedly raping his 14-year-old daughter inside their house several times, sometimes in the presence of her mother.

Prosecutor Aurora Peñaflor held the accused, a resident of Barangay Tejero, Cebu City, for trial after finding probable cause. She recommended no bail against the accused.

The FREEMAN is withholding the names of the parties due to the nature of the case.

The victim alleged she was nine years old when she was first abused by her father inside their house. He would continue to do so over the next few years, sometimes even while her mother was there.

She said her mother only begged her father to stop and she still forgave him after each time he raped her.   The victim also alleged she would sometimes wake from sleep experiencing difficulty in breathing, only to realize that the accused was already on top of her taking advantage of her.

Aside from sexual abuse, she also said she was physically abused by the accused.

Peñaflor directed the accused to file a counter-affidavit to answer the allegations filed against him, but he failed. Taking the accusations into account, Peñaflor found sufficient ground to hold the accused for trial.

"After circumspect evaluation of the uncontroverted evidence on record, the undersigned finds probable cause to hold respondent for trial for the crime charged," her resolution read. (FREEMAN)