Five-year-old rape victim by biological father gets justice

Five-year-old rape victim by biological father gets justice
Francis B. Bermido, Jr.

Cristy spent most of her childhood without a father because her father abandoned the family for another woman a few months after she was born. Her mother, Aida, was left alone to support her three children- Jim, Jan, and Cristy. To support her children, she washes the clothes of her neighbors and on her free time gathers vegetables from a vacant lot and sells them. This left Cristy and her brothers without adult supervision. As a result, they were not able to study and became used to roaming around the neighborhood. Eventually, the boys got involved in incidents of stealing in the community and the residents complained against them. When Aida learned about this, she locked her children inside the house to prevent them from going out when she leaves for work.

A few weeks before Cristy turned six years old in 2019, her mother Aida introduced to her a man, Jay, who she has never seen before, as her biological father. Cristy was elated to finally have a complete family.

One day, when Aida was away selling vegetables, Jay told Cristy and Jan they will eat at a popular fast-food restaurant in the city. The children were excited for a chance to eat out with their father and went with him.

When Aida arrived home later that night, she was surprised when she did not see Jay and the two children. She called Jay on his phone but it was un-attended. Evening came and still Jay and the children did not return. The following day, Aida went to the authorities and asked for help to locate her children. Unknown to Aida at that time, Jay had abducted the children and brought them to the province. Several months would pass until Aida would see Cristy and Jan again.

In the meantime, abandoned by his father and neglected by his mother, Jim’s behavior worsened. Not realizing her shortcomings as a mother, Aida chained Jim inside the house. It was at this time that a concerned neighbor asked Preda to rescue Jim from his own mother. Jim was admitted to the Preda Home for Boys.

On 11 July 2020, the Preda social worker received a call from Ms. Ester Aceron, a local social worker of Palauig town in Zambales, referring two children aged six and nine found by police walking aimlessly along the national highway. The Preda social worker responded to the call for help and the two children were admitted to the Preda home.

When the two children arrived at Preda, Jim was pleasantly surprised to see that the new admissions were his siblings- Jan and Cristy- who had been missing for almost a year already. However, his happiness at their reunion was short-lived because he soon realized why Jan and Cristy were referred to the Preda home.

Upon her admission to Preda, Cristy was meek and spiritless and she did not talk to anyone. The Preda social worker encouraged her to participate in counseling and emotional release therapy sessions, during which she was able to confront her abusive father and express all the pain and anger that she had been keeping to herself. Free from these negative emotions, she eventually was able to trust the Preda social worker and talk about her experience at the hands of her father. She disclosed to the social worker that she was raped multiple times by her own father. At one time, Jan saw her being abused but Jan was not able to do anything because he, too, was physically beaten by him.

After a few months, Cristy became empowered and gave her statement to the police and filed a complaint about two counts of statutory rape and two counts of sexual assault against her father. When called by the prosecutor during the preliminary investigation, Cristy bravely answered the clarificatory questions. The investigating prosecutor was convinced “probable cause” exists and elevated the case to the family court in Iba, Zambales.

After reviewing the Information filed in court, Judge Maribel Mariano-Beltran ordered the arrest of Jay and he was detained in the Zambales Provincial Jail. During her testimony, Cristy, only six years old, told the court how her father abused her. Jan also testified to support her.

After about a year of trial, Judge Maribel Mariano-Beltran reached a decision and found Jay guilty as charged and gave him life sentence. In making her decision, Judge Beltran gave full credence to the testimony of the children Cristy and Jan.

The decision of Judge Beltran finally gives closure to what Cristy experienced at the hands of her father. Now seven years old, she is happy and studying under the care of another children’s home. Jan and his older brother Jim are now reintegrated with their mother and are continuing their schooling. The Preda Foundation is giving them financial assistance for their schooling. More importantly, the Preda Foundation has given these children a new chance at life by giving them education and therapy and empowering them to fight for justice, which they have done so successfully with the conviction of their abusive father.