PREDA NEWSLETTER December 1999

Dear Friends of the Children,

PREDA Foundation is a charitable organization protecting and helping children recover from sexual and physical abuse. The Foundation’s education team goes to schools and communities organizing and empowering youth to start their preventive campaigns against AIDS, child abuse and drug abuse. Other activities includes legal action, lobbying, international advocacy, helping Filipino-American children, funds low-cost loans for the poorest (Grameen) and alleviating poverty through livelihood projects and Fair Trading.

CONTENTS :

* 13 year old child advocate off to Japan.
* Letter campaign saves children
* Death Squads halt killing.
* Dutch TV, US News and World Report cover PREDA story.

* BBC World Service radio report on PREDA work.
* Eleven year old and other children rescued.
* Australian Paedophile conviction upheld, sentence increased.

* PREDA exonerated by court of appeals from false * Two arrest warrants against German Suspect.
* German Court rules against Bruno M.
* Notorious sex club raided, closed.
* Philippine Honorable Consul defends convicted Paedophile, lauds sex industry.
* PREDA proposal for International court well received.

13 year old child advocate off to Japan.
Pia, a 13-year old, former victim of international sex tourists and now fully recovered at PREDA has gone to Japan with a PREDA social worker to advocate for children’s rights. She will speak at a Children’s Rights conference in Tokyo and at several schools on a ten-day trip. She will also visit Disneyland Tokyo. Pia was sold to the sex trade and prostituted when only ten years old, when rescued and entered PREDA she took her abuser to court in Germany and won. He only got a punishment of three years.

Letter campaign saves children, Death Squads halt killing.
A letter campaign we began in September against the shooting of street youth and the harassment of street children in Davao City, Southern Island of Mindanao has brought many replies, thanks to all who wrote to the mayor. The killing has stopped for now, the mayor was very angry that this vigilante death squad was exposed by PREDA and others and he brought a criminal libel suite with wide media coverage against Fr. Shay claiming damages of US$1.25 million. We are with your support ready and able to defend our action for human and children’s rights and justice against the murders. The libel suit is to intimidate and frighten all other advocates from speaking out against violations of Human Rights. The mayor does not scare us, death squad or not.

Dutch TV and US News and World Report cover PREDA story.
The latest International media to cover the PREDA story is the national Dutch TV. They sent a team to trace the story of the life of former prostituted children recovering and leading a new life at PREDA. Michael Satchell senior writer from US News and World Report, stayed for two days at PREDA with photographer Chris Anderson to write on the International trafficking of children in the sex industry opposed by PREDA. BBC world Service radio also conducted an interview on the case of Albert Wilson who is on Death row in Manila for child abuse. His conviction is apparently not beyond reasonable doubt and PREDA is helping see he gets a review in the Court of Appeals. First week of November BBC world service featured the work of PREDA on their series about Children Rights.

11-year old rescued from her abuser-father.
Newest member of the PREDA children’s home is 11 year old Tessie. Sexually abused by her own father she ran away to stay with her estranged mother after her father used threats and force to abuse her. Her older brothers and sister were also threatened. After finding shelter and protection at PREDA, we got a court order and an arrest warrant from the judge and the abuser was arrested and jailed. He awaits trial. Other new children at PREDA this week Sisters six and seven years old. Their father died they went to live with their half-brother, he had a intimate relationship with their mother, he sexually abused them both and beat them up, Leerna had her eye deformed, PREDA is trying to have it operated on to correct the deformity. Legal action against the half-brother is underway. Mary Jane, six year old, her bother became a victim of wife battering, the father sexually assaulted and abused Mary Jane, she is continually frightened but recovering from the trauma slowly. Rachel, 12 years old Abandoned by her mother who remarried after the death of her father and left the children with grandparents. An auntie gave Rachel to a 59 year old man for money and he continually sexually abused her. PREDA is bringing charges.

Sentence upheld, increased, PREDA exonerated.
Australian Paedophile, Victor Fitzgerald, helped by German Harry Joost appealed his case for the past three years, they claimed that had been framed up by PREDA who coached the victims to tell lies. The Court of appeals exonerated PREDA, said that evidence of guilt of Fitzgerald was clear. PREDA innocent and they upheld his conviction and increased the penalty to 14 to 20 years.

Arrest warrants against a German suspect.
Harry Joost the Paedophile protector who is campaigning against PREDA has been issued two arrest warrants. He paid a bail and awaits trial. His friend another Paedophile, Swiss-German Bruno M., a German Court ruled that he no other explanation of the video tapes taken in Olongapo by an undercover team other than he had sex with children in the Philippines. The court viewed the tapes and rejected his claim for 50,000. The court said there was no reason to show the tape on TV and ordered the TV station $2,500. His legal costs cost perhaps twice that.

Philippine Diplomat lauds sex industry. The Honorary Philippine consul in Ireland, Irishman John Ferris, friend and collaborator of Olongapo sex industry spokesman, Harry Joost, has criticized the Philippine judicial system saying that the trial of Australian, Victor Fitzgerald would not hold up in a Irish or British court. Ferris is highly criticized for issuing a newsletter to Irish Businessmen some years ago that praised the resurgence of the sex industry in Angeles city, Philippines. The letter quoted an old man from Australia saying the girls he could get were young enough to his granddaughters.

Notorious Night club raided, closed.
The Tahiti club in Calapandayan, Subic, was raided and closed by the Philippine Criminal Investigative Service last 29th November for sexually exploiting young women. This club operated by an American citizen, a member of the Paedophile support group hostile to the work of PREDA, was notorious for prostitution young women. One of the victims of Fitzgerald was lured into the influence of this club operator (owned by his Filipino wife) and prostituted. Charges have already been filed in the office of the Public prosecutor. PREDA has been conducting surveillance and information gathering operations in the area.

International Court of Children’s Rights proposed by PREDA.
Last September a proposal made to the World Forum on children’s welfare held in Helsinki by PREDA was well received and recommend. The world court would bring to trial notorious politicians or criminals who abuse children and cannot be brought to trail in their own countries.

The Whole family of children and staff of PREDA Children’s Home send you prayers and greeting this Christmas.

Fr. Shay Cullen
and all the Staff and Children