PREDA NEWSLETTER May 1998
Dear Friends,
As I was leaving PREDA on my way to Germany and Switzerland to participate
in the Global March activities against Child Labour I can’t help but tell
you before I leave the many events and activities in the past two months at
the PREDA Children’s Home. So, go on to these pages while I leave on a jet
plane...
Children’s Summer Activities
Enchanted Kingdom
It was a happy and refreshing break from the tedious work of legal hassles,
court battles and dealing with the sordid world of paedophiles and sad and
angry feeling that we feel when we find more abused children. So the summer
outings were like a tonic. With the staff and 25 children from the PREDA
out-reach programme we visited the Enchanted Kingdom, a carnival playground,
south of Manila. The excitement was high from the moment the bus took off
from the PREDA Centre. The kids got me to join them on the roller coaster,
huge swing, the bumpers and lots of other thrilling rides. It was great fun
especially for children who have seldom left the confines of their narrow
life in the poorer section of the city. PREDA is living up to the name of
its programme - Childhood for Children. I regained happy memories of my own
childhood when swirling around in the bumper cars or screaming on the roller
coaster.
Summer Camp
Two weeks previous to this, we were at the PREDA Summer Camp held at a beach
for three days with seventy-five children from 11 to 17 years old. There
were sports, games, races, seminars on family values, prayer sessions and of
course swimming in the early morning in the warm tropical waters.
Camping
A week before that another group of twenty teenagers set out for a mounting
camping trek but the road was so bad the tire on the vehicle burst and we
decided that it was too rough and dangerous to go on so we changed the tire
and returned to where we had a great week-end camping by the ocean.
Seminars For Social Workers
We have started holding seminars on our Inter-Disciplinary Training on Child
Abuse for Government and Non-Government social workers. It is to orientate
them on the underlying problems of abused children and the causes and the
difficulties of the children to tell others that they are being abused. They
are threatened and afraid to tell anyone. Social workers are reluctant to
report because they too feel threatened. So we are inviting them to share
information with us and even to refer cases to PREDA that they cannot
handle. They reported that most cases of child sexual abuse are undetected
for years and then there is private out-of-court financial settlement
reached between the parents and the abusers and the police. Everybody makes
money out of it except the child victim. This is the situation that we are
trying to change. But it is very perpasive and entrenched. Shocking as it
sounds, this system makes it financially rewarding for parents if the child
is abused. There is no investigation, no charges and the abuser can go on
hurting and molesting other children. It has become the accepted practice in
the community.
Four New Children Join PREDA
Four new children joined the PREDA residential family this month. They are
all victims of sexual abuse and all have filed complaints against their
alleged abusers. When they have undergone therapy and counselling and are
recovering, we will assist them with their court cases.
New TV Documentaries on PREDA
There have been three TV documentary reports in Germany on the work of PREDA
this May. All are very positive and supportive of the work we do and another
longer documentary will be broadcast this month in Canada in cooperation
with Free the Children. This is a movement against child labour organised by
Canadian and American children a few years ago by then 12 years old Craig
Kielburger and his family from Toronto. This remarkable movement works in
cooperation with PREDA. In June, children from around Canada and the United
States will be gathering and shipping school and health kits to the poor
children of the Philippines. PREDA is organising the distribution which will
be integrated with seminars and puppet shows on the rights of children.
The Paedophiles Strike Back
Unbelievable as it sounds. There is a paedophiles’ support group operating
in Olongapo City led by a German national and supported by local politicians
who have been trying to close down PREDA. The paedophiles’ protectors were
featured last 15 of May on a national TV programme that goes around the
Philippines and via satellite to the US and the Middle East. This group
collects money from the many foreigners who run bars, clubs, and massage
parlours in Olongapo and are known as the sex industry investors. The worst
kind. Similar groups, some former US Navy servicemen operate sex tours from
the US to Olongapo and Angeles City. This is now the target of international
public awareness and protest campaign. We are busy supplying the information
to the media about this nefarious activities that exploit women and
children.
False Charges From the Paedophiles
One member, an American former serviceman, to be charged with the sexual
abuse of a minor, moved defensively a few weeks ago and filed false
complaints against PREDA and myself and government officials caring for
children. Ridiculous baseless complaints, some dismissed now but still hours
of extra work and the paedophiles press releases to counter. This is a
common defense ploy by suspects and their lawyers.
Art Camp
The Children recovering from abuse at the PREDA Center went to a special
summer Art camp for three days too and had a great time. Then the following
week they attended a musical in Manila presented and performed by children
like themselves. As I was leaving PREDA yesterday on my way to Germany and
Switzerland to participate in the Global march activities against Child
Labour all the children were taking the dancing and singing classes. All of
these activities are planned and organised with the participation of the
children. It is important for building their self-confidence and developing
their abilities.
Well, there are lots of other things going on at PREDA but there is no space
to tell it all. So until the next newsletter.
Every Blessing ,
Fr. Shay Cullen and the PREDA Children and Staff
