63-Year-Old Grandfather Charged With Nearly 1,500 Counts of Rape

A 63-year-old man has been charged with a staggering 1,487 counts of rape, after he was found to have sexually abused two of his granddaughters over the course of five years. 

Identified only as “Lolo (grandfather) Ai” by the police, the man was arrested on March 2 in Catanduanes province, an island in the Bicol region of eastern Philippines. This was after a regional court charged Lolo Ai with 1,050 counts of statutory rape and 437 counts of rape.

The maximum sentence facing Lolo Ai has not been publicly stated, but anyone convicted of rape in the Philippines may face life imprisonment.

In a statement posted on Facebook, the regional police office labeled Lolo Ai as Bicol’s “most wanted person” due to the sheer number of sexual assault counts he faces.

Lolo Ai allegedly sexually abused his granddaughters between 2016 and 2021. One girl was abused between ages eight to 13, while another was sexually abused for three years from the age of nine.

Emsol Icawat, a spokesperson of the Catanduanes Police provincial office, confirmed details surrounding Lolo Ai’s charges to VICE World News. He called the case “shocking,” adding that Lolo Ai is currently being held in police custody until he is due to attend court.

“The [survivors] are presently in the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development to undergo intervention procedures,” Icawat said. According to the police statement, the girls are being taken care of in a “safe haven.”

Last week, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law a bill that raised the age of sexual consent from 12 to 16, in what rights groups described as a “legislative milestone” that will help tackle the problem of sexual abuse of minors in the country. 

Seven out of every 10 rape survivors in the Philippines are children, according to a 2015 study conducted by UNICEF and local civil society organizations. One in five Filipino teens aged 13 to 17 reported experiencing sexual violence while growing up, often by their own family members, the report also stated.

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