THERE is great encouragement and inspiration that one can get from the true-life stories of the brave Filipino children who fought back against their abusers and made them answer for their crimes against them. Hundreds of kids in Preda's children's homes have been healed and found justice by securing convictions against their rapists and human traffickers, thanks to those homes' staff. They have cared for these children and healed and empowered them so they can testify without fear and embarrassment.

One of those children was Maricel (not her real name). It was not easy for the 12-year-old child to accuse the live-in partner of her mother, Raymund Sison, of rape and sexual assault. But with the help of a caring grandmother and the dedicated municipal social worker of San Narciso, Zambales, Maricel won a great legal victory in the court of Judge Maribel Marianmo-Beltran in Iba, also in Zambales.