Man, 27, arrested for raping stepdaughter multiple times in Cebu

CEBU CITY – A 27-year-old man was arrested for allegedly raping his 16-year-old stepdaughter multiple times in the City of Naga, southern Cebu province.

A RAPE suspect shows a bullet wound in his forehead which he sustained after a failed suicide attempt. (NBI-7)

The arrest was made a day after the last sexual abuse happened, the National Bureau of Investigation-Central Visayas (NBI-7) said.

The NBI-7 said that it was last Saturday, Feb. 1, when the grandmother of the victim reported the alleged abuse.

According to the victim, the abuse started when she was 14-years-old. He said narrated that her stepfather would rape her when her mother leaves for work in the morning.

The victim finally found the courage to report the abuse when she was raped again last Saturday morning.

Upon receiving the complaint, the NBI-7 coordinated with the Department of Social Welfare and Development for the rescue of the victim.

It was around 1 p.m. on Saturday when NBI-7 agents went to the suspect’s house. The suspect, however, sensed their presence and fled.

On Sunday morning, the NBI-7 was informed that the suspect returned to his house and signified his intention to surrender.

The suspect surrendered to barangay officials, who then turned him over to the NBI-7.

The suspect bore an injured forehead when he was apprehended. He later revealed that out of guilt and fear, he tried committing suicide by shooting himself in the forehead using a .22 caliber revolver.

The gun went off but the bullet did not pierce the man’s skull.

The suspect will be charged with qualified rape under Republic Act (RA) 8353 and child abuse under RA 7610.

NBI Director Jaime Santiago, who was in Cebu on Sunday, described the case as grave. Santiago said the suspect may be sentenced to reclusion perpetua if convicted.