11-year-old asks Marcos: How can we read if we are being raped?
An 11-year-old student courageously addressed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. with a powerful question regarding protection from sexual and other injustices by a barangay official and his sons in Tinambac, Camarines Sur. She submitted a petition for the official's removal.
On March 30, 2026, an 11-year-old student from Caloco School in Tinambac, Camarines Sur, courageously confronted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during her elementary graduation ceremony. She left the event to deliver a petition to the Office of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (Tinambac municipal council) and the vice mayor, demanding the removal of a barangay kagawad (village councilor) and his children who she accused of multiple serious crimes. Her powerful question to the President was: "Mr. President, how can we focus on reading if we are being assaulted?"
The student's petition detailed horrific allegations including sexual assault and rape by the barangay official and his children. According to her letter, one victim became pregnant from an initial assault and was reportedly kidnapped by the councilor, who took her to Montalban for an abortion. The letter further revealed that a staff member accompanying her assaulted her again, causing her to stop attending school. The barangay official's son allegedly raped another girl in 2018.
Beyond sexual violence, the student documented a pattern of systematic abuse including threats against families, theft of electrical wires that cut off power to households, damage to water infrastructure, intentional grass fires, tire punctures, destruction of coconut trees, and theft of crops. She stated that "many families here are merely surviving because government officials make life exceedingly difficult for us." The student is a beneficiary of the Redeemer Homeless Mission, a nonprofit organization supporting homeless children's education.
In response to the allegations, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered authorities to investigate the alleged cases of abuse and harassment in the locality and to provide protection to the victims. The Philippine News Agency reported on March 31, 2026, that the President directed law enforcement agencies to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter. The identities of the alleged victims have been kept confidential due to the sensitive nature of the case, and as of the latest reports, no further details about the investigation's progress or outcomes have been publicly disclosed.
Join the discussion
What do you think? Drop your thoughts below.