'Fugitive' Priest Issues Public Apology

By Florence F. Hibionada
The Sun.star
December 11, 2012

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/iloilo/local-news/2012/12/11/fugitive-priest-issues-public-apology-257815

A FILIPINO priest, who was suspended after being charged with theft and possession of pornographic materials, issued a public apology.

Reverend Father Lowe Dongor, in his letter, made a plea to critics and media to spare his family from incessant media attention.

Dongor opened up after a year of silence since he fled to US that had the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) charged him with one count of felony act of Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution (UFAP).

Dongor, in a handwritten “My Apology” letter, said: “My heart is in grief and I know that yours as well. I am so sorry. I want to apologize to all the people who has believed and supported me for the damaged I have done to you all, to the church and to myself.”

He called on critics and media to spare his family, especially his mother, from media attention. He said his mother has since been traumatized, adding that it has been over a year since he last saw his mother and opted to keep the distance until he is free.

Iloilo-born Father Dongor left the appeal after last year’s media hullabaloo that had members of the local press hound the Dongor home in Barotac Nuevo.

Father Dongor has been removed from active ministry and prohibited from wearing a clerical attire or present himself publicly as a priest, Most Rev. Robert McManus of Worcester Diocese in Massachusetts said.

Father Dongor in referring to his plight called the incident a “scandal,” which happened on his first year of priesthood, had turned his world upside-down.

He said he used all his savings to get a one-way ticket back to the Philippines, adding that in “hiding,” he lost considerable weight and worked as call center agent in Manila.

He said going to mass became a challenge saying he would return to his temporary shelter in a slum area crying thereafter.

The letter also reiterated the hardships that he went through going back to the country. It added that he had to save his last penny and rely to food the airplane provided for his survival.

Father Dongor who is subject of manhunt by United States (US) authorities have surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation-Western Visayas office.

The NBI, after months of negotiations with the FBI, got its official FBI request to locate Dongor.

Father Dongor fled the US in October 2011 after entering a “not guilty” plea on charges of possession of child pornography. He has since visited his hometown and fled thereafter when the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issued a warning on his “not in good standing” status with the Church.

Local media then got wind of his presence and tried to reach him, however, the priest managed to flee anew.

The NBI, in an official press statement, said they are officially confirming the surrender and turn-over of Dongor to US authorities through their counterparts in the US Embassy in Manila.

NBI Regional Director Elfren Meneses Jr. said Dongor is now in custody of American authorities where he will have his due day in a US Court, adding that they thank Dongor and his family for cooperating, trusting the bureau and the justice system.

NBI lead agent Arnold Diaz personally escorted Dongor and left Tuesday night for US. The duo is expected to be met by joint US Homeland Security Investigation (HSI), the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) team upon arrival. It was not clear when Father Dongor will be made to appear in the US Court.

An independent investigation disclosed that Dongor stands accused before Judge Robert Collings, US Magistrate Judge of the John Joseph Moakley US Courthouse in the District of Massachusetts.

Docketed as 12-mj-1065-RBC, the FBI filed the UFAP felony charge on February 23, 2012 with the offense a “Category II.”

The FBI was called in by the Office of the Worcester District Attorney following Dongor’s failure to appear in an October 2011 Court hearing.

The UFAP charge carries a $5,000 bail and/or five year imprisonment.

The priest said he is ready to face the charges filed against him.