Campaign Against Human Rights Abuses
Deportation Attempts Local politicians are behind the latest petition to have Fr. Shay Cullen deported. Officials claim the public education about child and women abuse, AIDS and human rights violations scare away tourists and investors.
A fact is that some relatives of the leading politicians are on trial for child sex abuse as a result of Fr. Cullen and his workers efforts to rescue the children and give them shelter.
Building Permit Denied
The City engineering office refused to issue us a building permit in spite of the approval by the National government, after the damage wrought by the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo
Illegal Surveillance
Our children's home has been under the surveillance of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority's Investigation Department and staff members were also put under surveillance.
Illegal Arrest of PREDA Children
The local authorities illegally arrested and threatened three Preda children. The children were psychologically traumatized when threatened and brought to the police station beside the City Hall.
The police and local government people would not release them to our social workers and it was only when we confused the arresting people so that the children could run to our vehicle that they were able to get out of the police station. They went after us but we sped away.
Construction of High-Voltage Electric Posts Very Near the PREDA Children's Home
These electric posts however bypassed Gordon's Park, claimed by the ruling family. They had the National Power Corporation erect an extra pylon to take the cables away from their houses but it passed beside the PREDA Children's Home and subjected the children to electromagnetic radiation.
The Asian Development Bank and the World Bank are supporters of the infrastructure of these but refuse to take moral responsibility of the corrupt aspects of the projects.
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When the PREDA Staff erected a protest platform on a pylon the Olongapo Police were sent with the orders mayor Kate Gordon and her husband Richard Gordon. The instructions were to take them down and arrest them. |
They are now charged by the Ombudsman and the Human Rights Commission for mauling, handcuffing, illegal arrest and detention of Fr. Shay Cullen and a PREDA staff member for peaceful protest to protect PREDA children. Other Staffers, director Alex Hermoso was held at gunpoint and threatened while being robbed by the police of his camera, radio and cell phone.
The European Parliament's Statement On Our Behalf
"The European Parliament welcomes the action of Father Shay Cullen and colleagues in the war against child prostitution. It calls on the Philippine Government to protect them and confirm Human Rights and the Rule of Law."
This is important as it will, we hope, focus the attention of the Philippine Government on the violation of children's rights too. There is an on-going investigation in the Philippine Congress and the Senate will open its own investigation soon.
Hopefully new laws setting safety standards for electric cables and transformers will result. There is a national awareness growing now. A group of concerned citizens put in a full page ad in the newspaper here demanding protection against cables and antennas.