Fr. Shay Addresses the German Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Aid

Last May 9 Father Shay Cullen with supporters Thomas Hoyer of DWP and Tatort actor Klaus J. Behrendt and Ingo Ferrari made a presentation of the work of Preda Foundation to the Parliamentary Committee for Economic Cooperation and Development in the German Parliament that oversees the foreign aid budget. Mrs. Dagmar Woehrl (CDU/CSU Party) committee chairperson invited fr.Shay after her visit to the Preda project in the Philippines. In her introduction she spoke strongly about her visit and the importance of the work of Preda that combines economic development with social help for abused children.

Fr.Shay was invited to speak and he encouraged the committee for more assistance to the Philippines especially for the protection of children from foreign sex tourists and local abusers and the closing of sex bars that used trafficked children. Mr Hoyer explained the positive impact of Fair Trade in helping children and Mr.Behrendt described his visit to Manila Jails as shocking and subhuman.

Fr.Shay presented 35 photos slides of the work of Preda beamed to all members of the prestigious Foreign Aid committee and asked the committee to assist the Philippine children. He expressed thanks to Preda German Partners such as MIsereor, Kindernothilfe,Tatort and DWP.

He said that development assistance for the establishment by local governments and NGOs for open homes for children in conflict with the law that respects their rights and dignity. He said more effort was needed for the full implementation of the Juvenile justice Bill. He requested the committee to use its influence to help the Government of President Aquino to close down the sex industry. Several members of the committee spoke strongly against the sex trafficking of children.

Fr.Shay noted that development aid from Germany is blocked because of the dispute over the nationalization of the airport terminal 3 in Manila by the government of ousted President Arroyo. He assured the committee members that the Philippine government was doing all it could to resolve the dispute over the construction and ownership of Terminal 3 built by the German company Fraport resulting in huge losses to Fraport and the German Government.Mrs G.Kopp said in her remarks that the Fraport issues was a major obstacle to development aid going to the Philippines and it must be resolved in a just and fair way.

Several members of the committee stated that they had visited the Preda Jail rescue project in Manila last August 2011 and were shocked at the conditions of child prisoners. Another member had seen the sex industry where minors are sold to foreign sex tourists.They stated their support of Preda and praised the Preda Fair Trade and Preda FT partner DWP from Ravensburg represented by Mr.Thomas Hoyer. He told the committee the importance of Fair Trade and world shops in Germany that supports the social services of Preda helping abused children.

Showing 35 slides pictures beamed to all the members of committee Fr.Shay said the sex industry traffickers children from rural areas and is a grave danger to Filipino and German children.The German child sex abusers get addicted to abusing minors and are a danger to German children when they return,he said.

The committee members stated their commitment to help with solution to these problems but that the Good governance in the Philippines is the most important need to end sex tourism and the sexual exploitation of children and expand fair Trade. Members of Tatort and

Mardomel Melicor, Minister and Consul General of the Philippine Embassy in Berlin with Adrian Cruz were in the public gallery.