CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna, Philippines — A 17-year-old girl has filed rape charges against the mayor of Cavite City.
The victim was accompanied by her mother when she filed the case against Cavite City Mayor Bernardo Paredes, 78, before Mandaluyong assistant city prosecutor Glaiza Tulagan recently.
The victim claimed the mayor first raped her when she was 14 at a motel in Mandaluyong in 2017.
The girl said her mother worked for Paredes for 10 years and they frequently went to his house during the campaign period in 2016.
The victim said the mayor used to tell her that he would buy a house and lot for her parents if she would agree to have an affair with him.
She said Paredes raped her again when she sought his help when her mother was arrested on charges of estafa on Dec. 28, 2017.
The girl said the mayor threatened and sexually abused her at a motel in exchange for the release of her mother.
The family of the victim sought police protection, saying they have been receiving death threats.
Paredes denied the allegation, saying it was politically motivated.
He said he could not remember the victim, noting that many people have been asking assistance from him.