PREDA NEWSLETTER April 2002

Contents:

• One of the Causes of Child Abuse
• RTE to Show the Work of PREDA
• Uncovering Child Brothels
• Rescuing Children from Prison
• Killing Street Children – Again Happy Graduation Days
• The Easter Event
• Bishop Testifies in Support of Convicted Paedophile
• Great Sadness at the Passing of Merly Hermoso

 Dear Friends and
Supporters of Children’s Rights,

As always, there are lots of activities and events to report since the last time I wrote to you. The children’s home has extended a warm welcome to several new children that came seeking protection from their abusers and help to heal from the shock and trauma of abuse. The older children who are completely recovered make up the Guardian Angel team that welcomes and guides them into the warmth of the PREDA family. They soon feel safe and secure from worries and anxieties they left outside. They will be affirmed and reassured.

 

 

These children can now sing and dance in colourful costumes and a parade of floats with displays featuring the exotic fruit that means so much to Filipinos. This was in celebration of the Mango Festival in Zambales. The children rode on the PREDA float. The decorated display was made by the Youth Group Akbay and mounted on a farm cart drawn by a water buffalo with a huge replica of a mango. The message was proclaiming the importance of Fair Trade for the poor.

One of the Causes of Child Abuse

It is the economic exploitation of the rural poor and land evictions that drives families off the farms and into the slums. The poverty is worse and there is more disease. The children are sent begging to the streets where they are sometimes abducted and sold as child prostitutes into brothels.

RTE to Show the Work of PREDA

We were able to document a few of the many cases of children being sold and had the pimp arrested and brought to trial. That episode and the other work of PREDA will be shown on the RTE Television series “True Lives” on the 30th of April. Therefore, if you are in Ireland, tell your friends and be sure to watch it.

I am also writing a weekly column in the Catholic weekly The Universe available at most churches. Please read it and pass it to your friends so that we can share the news and reflect together on power of God’s presence in our lives.

Uncovering Child Brothels

This is the child abuse that we are fighting day after day. Our human rights surveillance team monitors this nasty business. Recently, they discovered a notorious nightclub that is displaying naked children to foreign customers not far from here. We are working with the police to rescue the children and close it down. It will take a while yet. We have to get strong evidence before the police will do anything. We succeeded in closing bars before but sometimes a corrupt policeman will tip off the club owner and get paid bribes not to investigate.

Rescuing Children from Prison

Our jail monitoring team has been to the jails in nearby provinces to get children out of prison. They’re so young and mixed in with adult criminals. They have to work like slaves for the guards and the prisoners if they are to eat. Sometimes both boys and girls are sexually abused. There are an estimated 20,000 children in prison in the Philippines.

Some of our overseas visitors and volunteers went on the jail visits. They discovered 13 children in one jail and we protested. A week later when we went back to get them out they had already been released to their parents. That was some small success. There is so much to be done.

Killing Street Children – Again

In Davao City in the southern Philippines, the dreaded death squad has been killing street children again. You may remember when we took up this issue in 1999 and many of you courageously wrote letters of protest to the former mayor or endorsed my letter to him and the killings stopped. That former mayor then charged us with 50 million peso libel and I was to be imprisoned but at the last hour, the mayor withdrew the charges and we won the case.

Now, we have to take up the cause again. The streets are aging bloodied with the brains of murdered children who are barely surviving on the streets. However, they are considered pests and criminals by the authorities. This is where we really need the International Court of Human Rights to step in and bring the untouchables to justice. We will work for that with your support.

Happy Graduation Days

There was great rejoicing at the end of the school year when several PREDA children graduated for elementary and high school with awards and honors. One of the girls graduated from high school is the class valedictorian. She swept twelve top awards and was named among the top ten graduates from the whole city. She also received a college scholarship. It is a terrific success for a child who has had to overcome a sad history of abuse and neglect. She delivered an inspiring graduation speech to the audience. It was rising to new life just like Easter.

The Easter Event

The Holy Week was a time for all of us to pray and reflect on the goodness and sacrifice of Jesus Christ and rejoice in his resurrection. The children watched the inspiring film “Jesus of Nazareth”, prayed the stations and the rosary and celebrated the Easter ceremonies with reverence and deep spirituality. The innocent children have much to teach us adults. We have much to learn. Easter is of great significance to all of us here. We see the forces of evil trampling on human rights and abusing children day after day and yet so many of them are brave and courageous in coming back to life after being beaten down for so long. With God’s help and the loving care of the dedicated social workers, the children find that inner strength to put the evil behind them.

They forgive their abusers and have the courage to fight for justice so the sexual offender cannot violate children that are more innocent. That is the miracle of Easter for all of us. The living spirit of Jesus carries us over all the difficulties, hardships and threats. In the end, God lifts us up and sees us through the crowds of skeptics and mean spirited critics who shamelessly deny the reality of child abuse and cover-up incidents they know.

There are many who would prefer we shut up and not teach children to speak up about abuse and defend their rights. Last week, when I complained that few clergy were actively involved in defending abused children; I was told I was displaying a ‘patronizing’ attitude. We have a lot to put up with these days.
Bishop Testifies in Support of
Convicted Paedophile

Last week, the local bishop testified in the city court in defense of a convicted Australian paedophile that we helped bring to justice when we saved his victims from his yacht where he sexually abused them. Victor Fitzgerald was convicted several years ago after a long trial. He was the first foreigner to be jailed in the Philippines for child abuse.

An Australian priest working in the diocese paid Fitzgerald’s bail bond of 1,600 Sterling pounds (Euro 2,000) and so, now that the convicted paedophile is free on the streets to prey on more children.

That is not the best way to spend church money if that has been the case. The church ought to be helping the hundreds of child victims seeking justice in the courts not getting a convicted paedophile out of jail.

The testimony of the bishop is based on his sworn affidavit and that of 23 priests that says they believe the reversed testimony of the victims. The affidavit implied that we had exceeded the bounds in influencing the children to testify against Fitzgerald.

We were never asked by the clergy for our side of the case as natural justice demanded. The victims, now adults, were abducted after the trial and prostituted in the local brothels. The Court of Appeals rejected the withdrawal of testimony saying they were most likely paid and coerced to withdraw their testimony. The three Associate Justices concurred in their decision and exonerated the PREDA social workers by name. They also increased the penalty of Fitzgerald from 8 to 17 years. Never-the-less, the bishop is contesting that decision and demanded a new trial to hear “newly-discovered evidence”. The new evidence however is the same reversed testimony of the victims and the statement of the bishop and priests saying he believes them. Trials and tribulations never seem to cease. I will tell you the outcome when the Court of Appeals rules on the so-called “newly-discovered evidence”.

Great Sadness at the Passing of Merly Hermoso

We have had our share of sorrows too in a very personal way. I reported in the last letter to you that my mother passed to the Lord in November. This January the co-founder of PREDA, Merly Ramirez Hermoso fell into a coma after suffering a brain hemorrhage. It was so unexpected and sudden that we were all terribly upset. Her husband Alex and their three children were deeply saddened as were all of us. Merly and Alex started PREDA with me 28 years ago. She was faithful, true to the goals, and mission of PREDA, built the organization, helped make it strong and viable to serve the poor and helped many in need.

Her greatest contribution was the development of the Fair Trade livelihood department that gives hundreds of families a life of dignity and prosperity. As the financial officer and chief administrator, she set up a strong transparent financial system that was built on integrity and accountability. The accounts department has three separate project audits every year and there is never a blemish on her accounting. It is a fitting tribute to her personnel integrity and a life lived for others. While we miss her and mourn for her, we rejoice that she was with us and is now with God.

All of us and the children pray for you everyday. Hoping you remember us too.

Peace and Blessing,

Fr. Shay Cullen,
the Staff and Children