10 years ago, an awful experienced happened to a former MTV VJ Kat Alano. This experience let her speak out and as she encourage all raped victims to speak up and to stand up for justice.

She decided to speak up because of her “own guilt” and because all those times she is being troubled for the thought of needing to say the truth.

“At the beginning I only came out about rape culture after another girl came out and was an alleged victim of the same man who raped me,”  Alano said, explaining why she has been silent and why she only had the bravery to speak up last year though it happened ten years ago.

She was 19 years old when it happened and that moment she came out with her friends to go for a drink and he met a guy from her work who demanded and insisted her to ride her home using her own car. She neglected the offer for how many times but was finally force.

Inside the car, only then she perceive that there is something wrong when a fog cover up, not realizing she was drugged at the moment.

Last 2013, there were about 5, 493 cases of raped cases stated by Philippine National Police Women and Children Protection Center. Most of them are students and was raped by using liquid ecstasy and assorted in drinks and Alano was one of the victim.

Alano said that saying the truth has been so hard. The public perspective was not so easy that she has been bashed online and personal and was ignored in the industry.

“Now is the time to join voices and be heard as a collective because that’s the only way that we can prove to the whole world and not just in our nation that rape really exists, that we are the faces of rape and this is what happens to you. And this is what has happened to us.” Alano said.

We need to think as Alano pointed out that the thought and how we see as Filipinos in speaking of rape and sex education should be an important part in giving and acknowledging raped victims to be heard and to be still accepted in the society. As Alano encourages all victims to not be scared and afraid in speaking, let us also be also be brave enough to help them.