THE WEBSITE BishopsAccountability.org has uncovered and listed 84 cases of clerical child abuse allegations in the Philippines. In a message to the National Safeguarding Conference in the Philippines (October 2025), Pope Leo renewed his appeal that “there can be no tolerance for any form of abuse in the Church… including sexual, spiritual and abuses of power.”
It is clear that the “truth will set us free.” The pope made it clear that bishops must hold the abusive priests to account and get justice for their victims.
A case against a priest for the alleged rape of a 17-year-old choir member was filed in the Regional Trial Court in Negros Occidental. The case came before the court in 2023. The priest was arrested.
But the case was provisionally dismissed when the victim did not testify. The child and her mother were allegedly given money and told to leave the province. They approached the Preda Foundation and asked for help to re-file the case.
When the case was refiled within the legal time frame by the child’s attorney, the case was dismissed. The child’s attorney has filed a complaint in the Supreme Court. The priest remains on administrative leave while ecclesiastical reviews continue.
A former assistant parish priest in Cagayan, is currently in jail facing multiple charges of crimes involving a 15-year-old child church volunteer. He allegedly secretly recorded their sexual encounters in various hotels and threatened to leak the videos if the victim disclosed the abuse.
He also faces criminal complaints for qualified seduction, sexual harassment, and violations of the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Law.
He was jailed on March 2, 2023. He admitted to the multiple acts of sexual abuse but claims they were consensual.
A priest from the diocese offered the child a college education in exchange for dropping the charges, but she refused, as she was determined to get justice. She is receiving counseling, support and educational assistance from the Preda Foundation.
Another case of alleged child sexual abuse by a Catholic priest is detailed in a court filing in Cebu, for lascivious conduct and rape of an 11-year-old boy.
The indictment listed five counts of rape with sexual assault and one count of lascivious conduct. Four of the alleged heinous crimes were committed between Feb. 12, 2022, and April 27, 2023, in the church rectory. Another was committed at Cuestas Resort in Malabago village.
The courageous and brave child just wants justice. The long delay of three months between each court hearing is another reason why we need the Supreme Court to create a special children’s court until Congress enacts a law.
The cleansing of the priesthood and the Church of clerical sexual abuse of children, as Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV demand, will only happen when the bishops act for justice to protect the child victims and end tolerance and cover-up by bringing the clerical abusers to justice and their victims are healed and supported./PN
