By LIEZLE BASA IÑIGO
TUGUEGARAO CITY — Police reported on Friday, Feb. 6, that a 67-year-old man accused of repeatedly abusing his minor grandchild was arrested in Allacapan, Cagayan.
The suspect, listed as the No. 3 most wanted person in Region 2, was apprehended by Allacapan police through a warrant of arrest for 105 counts of rape and sexual assault, along with three counts of acts of lasciviousness.
Authorities said the victim was only 12 years old when the case was formally filed.
Investigators revealed that the abuse allegedly began in 2020, when the child was just seven years old.
At the time, she was living with the suspect and her grandmother while her parents worked in remote areas.
Police reported that fear kept the child silent for years—until she bravely confided in her mother through a private social media message.
The disclosure prompted her father to immediately file charges.
Police Regional Office 2 director Brig. Gen. Antonio P. Marallag Jr. underscored the significance of the arrest, saying it sends a strong message that “crimes against children will not go unpunished.”
