Two lower-ranking military officers filed rape and attempted rape charges against their superior, a higher-ranking officer. Data gathered by newspapers shows the incident happened on January 29 and was confirmed by an investigation.

Gabriela secretary general Clarice Palce said military officers who shamelessly abuse their power must immediately be held accountable by law.

“If military officers can abuse their subordinates, how much more vulnerable are defenseless ordinary civilians in communities? The power dynamics within the military foments conditions where violence, including sexual abuse, exists without fear of punishment,” Palce added.

The military’s rape and sexual abuse of women and young farmers and the poor in rural areas nationwide is no longer new.

The military’s sexual abuse have been reported in villages under militarization, such as when 16th IB soldiers raped three women in three separate cases in Camarines Norte province in 2024, CAFGU and 203rd IB soldiers raped two women in Oriental Mindoro in 2023, and 94th IB soldiers committed two cases of rape in Negros Occidental in 2023. In one case, CAFGU and 59th IB soldiers abducted, forcibly detained, and raped a 15-year-old girl in the province of Quezon in 2020, among many others.

“We have repeatedly stated that these are not merely isolated cases. The pattern of abuse extends from the highest ranks down to field operations,” said Palce.

“The culture of violence and abuse within the AFP only shows the deep-rooted problem of machismo or debasement of women and the lack of accountability in this institution. Most victims are forced to remain silent out of fear of retaliation, especially when their abusers are powerful men with weapons and an institution that protects them,” Palce added.

Gabriela called to hold the AFP accountable for all women and children who are victims of state-perpetuated violence in the country.