MANILA (PHILIPPINES)
Panay News [Iloilo, Phillipines]
April 15, 2023
By Fr. Shay Cullen
SOME of the best and well written-child protection laws are in the Philippines. However, it is enforcement that is lacking. There are few convictions of child abusers.
Without the rule of law being enforced, there will never be an end to child sexual abuse. Right now, the Philippines is like “a fun house of sexual abuse” with international connections by online abuse.
At a recent meeting with five judges in Cebu, the president of the Preda Foundation Francis Bermido Jr. and it executive director, Emmanuel Drewery, were earnestly requested by the judges to open a therapeutic healing center/home for girl-victims of sexual abuse and exploitation in Cebu.
The Preda Foundation with German partner Aktionsgruppe already manages a successful home for boys in Liloan, Cebu. That project rescues teenagers from horrible subhuman conditions in government detention cells and empowers them to start a new positive life based on spiritual values and education.
The five judges explained that young girl-victims of abuse do not show up to testify. It is likely that they have been threatened by the family of the accused if the child will testify against the accused. Without the testimony of the child, the case has to be dismissed.
“There is no justice without protection and testimony of the victim,” they rightly said. “We need Preda here with a home for girl victims.”
The judges know the significant track record of the children empowered and healed at the Preda Foundation home in Zambales. Many of the children are winning their court cases after a few months in the protection of the Preda home for girls.
The children in the Preda homes have won no less than a stunning 21 convictions of their 17 abusers and three traffickers in court cases. One of the convicted abusers is a government employee, a teacher with the Department of Education.
These convictions ensure that these perpetrators go to jail and can no longer pose a threat to any children. Most abusers convicted received life sentences. The judges want the same victories for child victims in Cebu.
According to the official Preda published report: The legal complaints were filed by a total of 32 child victim-survivors (29 females, 3 males). Of these 32 victims, 17 are children-victims of human trafficking, 14 are victims of sexual abuse/rape and one is a victim of physical abuse.
“The pending arrest and jailing without the possibility of bail of a Catholic priest in Solana, Cagayan has shaken up the Catholic Church in the Philippines. Judge Dennis Mendoza of the Regional Trial Court Branch 4, Tuguegarao City issued an arrest warrant against the priest on multiple rape and sexual assault charges of a 15-year-old church volunteer “Angelica” (not real name). Angelica is being supported by the Preda Foundation.
The child with her parents rejected an offer by another priest of the diocese of free education to college if she dropped the charges. She and her parents refused and demanded justice. Such attempts to cover up the crimes of priests are illegal according to church law as the Pope said in his apostolic letter “Vos estis lux mundi.” (To be continued)/PN