Princess Cornejo, 22 years old, woke up early in the morning in a house she couldn’t remember how she got to. Her head hurt, her body was heavy, and she had difficulty moving. She noticed that she was not wearing any clothes, and that she had pains in her body that she couldn’t explain. Hours earlier, she had been at a friend’s birthday party in a barangay in Tarlac.
It was just a normal party for the gang. There was food, there was drink, and there was laughter. As the night wore on, the number of people around gradually decreased. Princess was left with a few men she also knew. As time passed, she felt extremely dizzy and sleepy. She couldn’t remember how she got to bed or how she fell asleep.
The last thing he remembered was the feeling of his body becoming heavy and his strength gradually losing strength. When he woke up, the surroundings were quiet. The noise of the celebration was gone. He tried to remember what had happened but his memories were fragmented. He tried to ask the companions who were still there, but no one wanted to speak.
Some looked away and others hurried away. In that silence, she felt more afraid and confused. Even though she was weak, Princess chose to go home alone. When she arrived at their place of residence, her grandmother noticed her appearance and condition. After a few hours, her condition worsened so she was taken to the hospital.
During the doctors’ examination, signs emerged that she was a victim of severe abuse. A medico-legal examination was conducted to record the condition of her body and the evidence important to the investigation. This is where the more difficult phase in Princess’s life began. It was not just a matter of physical illness but of facing a reality that would make her already complicated life even more difficult.
Even before that night, Princess had already been through a lot. In 1990, her mother, Joanna Cornejo, left the country to work as a domestic helper. A few years later, she returned to the Philippines to their hometown in Tarlac, pregnant. In 1993, Princess was born. According to family stories, her father was a Moroccan man who also had a family of his own.
From the beginning, Princess felt that her mother did not fully accept her due to the fact that she was an illegitimate child. Joanna soon left again, leaving Princess in the care of her grandmother. There, the child grew up in a simple house with an elderly woman who acted as a parent, guide, and support. Over the years, her mother traveled back and forth to other countries.
There were times when she returned home, and there were times when she left again. But the expected relationship between mother and daughter did not develop. Their relationship was often cold and there was no deep conversation. In 2004, Joanna finally had her own family in Germany. They had their own children and only occasionally sent support.
Since then, their communication has almost completely stopped. No more regular calls. No more promises of returning home. At a young age, Princess gradually understood that she was no longer part of the new world her mother had built. Because of this, she stood on her own two feet early. She learned not to rely on anyone.
He learned to hide his sadness and boast of his courage. He became emotionally withdrawn but outwardly aggressive. He spent more time with young men who were naturally brave and strong. He learned to join in their jokes, their walks, and their interactions until he realized that his actions and personality were completely influenced by them.
Gradually, her coolness and dressing style developed. Not because of fashion but because it was her way of protecting herself. In this form, she felt safer, more in control of her surroundings. Over the years, Princess became more known in her community as a lesbian (tomboy). Many said that her beauty was a waste.
A sharp nose, fair skin, and smooth complexion. But for Princess, those compliments meant nothing. When she was in high school, a teacher once entered her into a beauty contest. She didn’t want to, but she was forced to participate. She won the award, which surprised many and even impressed a few men. But after that, she never entered again.
That was not the world he wanted and he did not see himself in that position. He grew up close to his friends. His grandmother did not lack for care, but there was a gap in his being that no amount of understanding could fill. In his friends, he sought a sense of acceptance, of being important, and of not being alone.
Princess’s life continued on until one day something unexpected happened. In January 2015, Princess attended a birthday party for one of her friends. There was drinking at a rented place. At first, there were a lot of them. There were women and men at the table. Talking, laughing, and drinking were common.
As the night wore on, the number of people gradually dwindled. Some had gone home, others had moved places, until only five men and Princess were left. Three of them were her childhood friends and long-time friends. Two of them she didn’t know very well and had only just met. Around midnight, Princess wanted to go home.
He was already feeling dizzy. However, his companions said that they would take him. As time passed, he felt his body getting heavier and sleepier. Something was wrong with him. His eyelids were heavy. The surroundings were slowly moving. Before long, he could no longer help falling asleep. This is where the nightmare began.
While she was unconscious, the crime that would change her life occurred. She was raped and exploited by five men in the room with her. Her three long-time acquaintances were Jofer Renorio, Ian Bernabe, and John Lloyd Balmores. The two strangers were identified as JM Seralde and Randy Bacalzo. Princess was unconscious and unable to fight back.
There was no voice that night. And in that very moment, the trust she had long held in people she considered more than friends was completely gone. Friends she considered brothers and family. Princess woke up with no memory of anything. In the hours that followed, Princess slowly came to terms with what had happened. She left there alone.
Carrying an inexplicable burden until she found herself in the hospital with her grandmother. An examination was conducted there. There, the doctors confirmed her bad hunch. Princess was immediately subjected to a medico-legal examination. The results showed clear evidence that a crime had indeed occurred.
Her mother, who was in Germany, was informed of what had happened. But instead of hugs and sympathy, she received a cold reaction. There was no clear support. She also did not return home. Princess once again experienced the feeling of being unappreciated. However, with the help of her grandmother and a public attorney, preparations began for the case against the five men, but not everything was easy.
One of the suspects, JM Seralde, has a relative with political influence. The progress of the complaint was delayed several times. There were delays in the paperwork and attempts to completely ignore the complaint. Instead of receiving sympathy, Princess faced slander. Word spread in her area that she was the one who instigated it, she wanted it, and she was to blame.
Along with these insults, Princess discovered that she was pregnant. A news that added to her burdens. Not only would she have to deal with trauma, but she would also have to face a responsibility that she didn’t know she could handle. Despite fear, shame, and judgment from others, Princess decided not to back down. She chose to pursue the case.
She chose to reveal what happened. She chose to fight even though it was difficult. The case began under a slow and burdensome justice process. Princess returned repeatedly to the hospital, the police station, and the lawyers’ office. Every document had to be completed. Every story had to be repeated. The medico-legal results revealed traces of sleeping pills in Princess’s body.
This showed that he was unable to fight back when the crime occurred. This detail also strengthened the case against the five suspects. As the investigation progressed, one of the men agreed to cooperate with authorities in exchange for a lighter sentence. He is Ian Bernabe, 21 years old who lives near Princess’s house and grew up with her.
He gave a clearer picture of how the incident was planned. In his statement, it was revealed that JM Seralde had been in love with Princess for a long time. According to him, he was the one who initiated and made the group laugh. He was the one who planned it. He also gave money to encourage others to join in what they did.
The group was allegedly motivated by the offer of money to follow JM. This statement shows that this was not a sudden incident but a deliberate crime. As the case progressed, Princess faced threats and harassment. There were messages being passed on to others. There were warnings not to pursue the complaint.
There were rumors in their area that she was being blamed. But Princess stood by her decision. In October 2015, in the middle of the hearings, Princess gave birth to her child. A child with no acknowledged father. A child who came at a time when her strength was almost exhausted. But instead of giving up completely, the child became a new reason for her to continue.
With the help of her grandmother, several lawyers, and women’s support groups, she continued the case despite being exhausted. After nearly three years of hearings, examining evidence, and going back and forth in court, the day of judgment finally arrived. In 2018, the suspects were found guilty. One of the five men received a lighter sentence for cooperating with the investigation.
The four remaining suspects were sentenced to long years in prison for their direct participation in the crime. Finally, the law recognized Princess’ fate. After the court’s decision, Princess chose not to find out which of them was the father of her child. For her, the matter no longer mattered.
What matters is the future of the child in her arms. She believes that none of them have the right to be a part of the child’s life. Years passed as they lived quietly. Princess lived with her child and her grandmother. Little by little, she sought a source of income. Any honorable job was accepted to provide for the child’s needs. She was no longer dependent on her mother.
She learned not to crowd herself around people who had long forgotten her. Instead, she chose to build herself up for her child. With each passing day, she gradually developed herself. From an abandoned child, she became a mother ready to provide love, protection, and guidance. Even though she grew up without a father or mother by her side, she once again played the role of mother and father to the child who was given to her.
In the end, Princess’s years of loneliness were filled. Not by her own parents, but by a bad experience that produced a child who became the reason she continued to live. Hey.
