A 53-year-old man was arrested earlier this week for raping his eight-year-old grandniece in Lambunao, Iloilo.

The suspect was arrested inside his home after the victim claimed she was raped on three occasions since last month, with the most recent encounter occurring last Tuesday, June 12, the day of the arrest.

Lambunao Municipal Police Station chief, Police Chief Inspector Jogen Suegay, said the victim was accompanied by her aunt to the police station after the minor was spotted emerging from a forested area with the suspect.

“The suspect threatened to harm the victim should she reveal what happened to her grandmother and aunts,” the police officer noted.

Authorities have refused to disclose the identity of the suspect but, according to Suegay, he is currently detained at the Lambunao Municipal Police Station and charges were filed before the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office last Thursday, June 14.

The alleged assailant is being charged in violation of RA 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.

The suspect denies the claims, however, medical tests conducted on the victim showed lacerations to her vaginal area, which is indicative of rape.

The victim was staying with her grandmother as her mother is working in Manila.

The suspect is the grandmother’s brother./WDJ