The good news is that justice sometimes works for the sake of the children—abandoned, raped, exploited and abused as in the case of Maria, reported here—but not often enough. Church and state are frequently slow and silent about the abuse of children and action is frequently lacking in bringing the abusers to justice. Denial, cover-up, intimidation of victims and witnesses, and pay-offs to parents and victims are the methods employed by suspects or their enablers to stop complaints from reaching prosecutors or the courts. When barangay [neighbourhood] officials arrange a payoff between abusers and parents and take a cut for themselves, the law is violated and the child victims are thrown aside to suffer in silence.
This criminal behaviour is a total and outright contradiction and denial of the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth and a repudiation of Christianity. Pedophile priests that abuse children and the bishops that send them on vacations are to be challenged and brought to justice. Pope Francis and the Vatican child protection team have said priests must be formally accused when credible evidence is presented and brought to the civil prosecutors. The Church cannot ignore the child protection law of the people, it must obey it.
A recent Vatican guideline says that even anonymously submitted reports of child sexual abuse allegedly committed by a cleric must be considered worthy of investigation. “The anonymity of the source should not automatically lead to the report being considered false, especially if it is accompanied with documentation that attests to the likelihood of a delict, a [crime] being committed.” All these laws and instructions for bishops and priests and laypeople are available on the Vatican website Vatican.va.
Thanks to good police work in Batanes, a wanted suspect and fugitive, Rizalito “Regen/Regie” Javier, charged with child abuse in Cavite and with two arrest warrants against him, is now jailed in Batanes. He is a close friend of Father Rolly Olango, parish priest of Itbayat, who assigned him to organise and train the parish altar boys knowing that he was wanted on child abuse charges.
He was likely acting as a pimp, grooming and preparing the most vulnerable boys for abuse. Serious allegations of child sexual abuse of several altar boys are now emerging and their parents are complaining that their children are showing psychological distress consistent with sexual abuse by priests.
But often justice is blind-sided by corrupt police practice and fake agents from a so-called child rescue charity that several have minors complained sexually abused them
The parishioners wrote a letter to 60-year-old Bishop Juan Danilo Bangayan Ulep of Batanes saying that Father Olango is protecting Javier and the parish priest has likely violated several laws such as harbouring a fugitive and endangering children. They call for him to be suspended under Church law.
Local people suspect there are many more pedophile priests in the diocese and the parents are encouraging the altar boys to come forward. Batanes is a small island of 18 to 20 thousand inhabitants in the extreme north of the Philippines accessible only by air from Manila.
The victims/survivors can be helped to recover and triumph in life when they are given the intervention and rescue of a government social worker and help at a private therapeutic shelter that gives protection, support, understanding, affirmation and Emotional Release Therapy. Then, the victim/survivor can recover and be empowered, emotionally strengthened and can live with self-confidence and testify against his or her abusers.
Maria [not her real name] is one of many victims/survivors who brought about the conviction of their abusers. She testified against her biological father, Wilfredo, who raped her three times during the Covid-19 lockdowns.
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
https://www.Facebook.com/CFM-Gifted-to-give-101039001847033
He was found guilty on three counts of child rape and sentenced by Judge Gemma Theresa B. Hilario-Logronio, of the Olongapo Family Court, to three life sentences without parole. His only defense was denial. Maria, his 12-year-old-daughter, under the care of the Preda Foundation, fought for justice after being healed from trauma and empowered by Emotional Release Therapy at Preda.
She was able to testify. As the judge said in her decision, “Minor MMM’s testimony remained firm, consistent and trustworthy. She narrated her ordeal with the accused in a straightforward, spontaneous and coherent manner. She clearly narrated on how she was repeatedly raped by the accused on three occasions… ” Maria endured strict cross examination and won her case, one of an average 15 convictions won by Preda supported children. Every act of justice brings hope and encouragement to child victims/survivors and defenders of children everywhere.
The Philippine Court of Appeal is slow in rendering justice to victims of child sexual abuse when these cases should have top priority, as it is said, “Justice delayed is justice denied.” We hope the Supreme Court will speed up the delivery of justice to child victims
But often justice is blind-sided by corrupt police practice and fake agents from a so-called child rescue charity that several have minors complained sexually abused them.
The NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] officers refused to identify and arrest the fake charity agents that they collaborated with. The Philippine head of the charity refused to identify their paid agents. The child traffickers were acquitted in two separate court cases because of this.
The parent rescue charity in the United States and Australia failed to respond to the child sex abuse complaints. Instead of being rescued, the minors’ destiny was to be sexually abused. Clearly, justice was obstructed with impunity and denied to the victims.
The Philippine Court of Appeal is slow in rendering justice to victims of child sexual abuse when these cases should have top priority, as it is said, “Justice delayed is justice denied.” We hope the Supreme Court will speed up the delivery of justice to child victims.
The world is watching and concerned nations also are providing information and are appealing for justice for those children abused on-line through sex shows sold to foreign customers. However, most foreign police at embassies in the Philippines are focused on anti-terrorism work and ignore child abuse by their pedophile and human trafficking nationals. Not Canada. They have assigned a senior police officer to focus on the child abuse of Filipino children by Canadians.
Church leaders should be like good Pope Francis and follow his example and constantly speak out against child abuse in society and in the Church. There is apathy, indifference and silence about the heinous crimes that are happening in families and in the Church. The sexual abuse leaves the child victims suffering for the rest of their lives.
Inaction brings shame and repudiation on the institutions they represent. Like the parents of abused children in Batanes demanding justice from the Church and the bishop, everyone should speak out and demand healing, recovery, justice, and a happier, better life for the victims of child sexual abuse.
Father Shay Cullen
www.preda.org
