Zimmer Case
In view of the fake news and publicity on social media about the arrest and detention of US national Lilian “Sherry” Zimmer in Subic last July 3, 2014, let it be known that:
Neither Fr Shay Cullen nor the Preda Foundation filed charges against Sherry Zimmer. The Preda social workers discovered in 2014 the dangerous conditions suffered by five little children in the house of Zimmer in Subic and as required by law reported it to the DSWD. That was the only involvement of the Preda Foundation. The criminal charges were filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) resulting in a court case and arrest warrant for her alleged crimes against helpless Filipino children- the youngest a six-month old baby. The children were neglected and they were found to be sexually abused while in her custody. Zimmer never explained how they were abused or by whom. The seven-year old boy told a government psychologist that Zimmer invited a man into her house and he sexually molested him in a shower and took pictures of him naked. The little girls said Zimmer brought them to beach parties held by foreigners and they held and played with them. Attached are the medico-legal certificates of the children.
*Medico Legal Certificate
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Sherry Zimmer falsely accuses Fr. Shay Cullen of dragging her out of her home when she was arrested. When the agents from the NBI arrested her, Fr. Shay Cullen or anyone from Preda Foundation was not present and had nothing to do with it or the cases filed against her.
Sherry Zimmer is liable under Section 6 of the Anti-Child Abuse Law for keeping in her custody five children who are not related to her. At the time of their rescue, one of the children was found tied to a chair and her food scattered all over the place. The other four children were confined to a small room. See sworn statement of the social workers from the DSWD.
*Affidavit of DSWD social workers signed
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Sherry Zimmer is not a licensed foster mother and the foundation she used to solicit money from her friends is not registered and licensed by the DSWD. See certification from the regional director of the DSWD attesting to this fact.
*Certification from DSWD Zimmer and her foundation not licensed
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On the other hand, Preda Foundation is working closely with the government agencies among them the DSWD, the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (JJWC), government prosecutors and the courts in Luzon assisting the investigation of child abuse cases and pursuing justice for the victims. It has assisted children file their cases and they won many cases against their rapists and traffickers including some foreigners such as American Arthur Benjamin. However in the case of US national Zimmer, Preda or Fr.Shay had no involvement in any legal action against Zimmer.
Preda founded in 1974 is a non-church independent organization, protecting children from abuse and providing shelter and recovery for victims of child rape and sexual abuse. The Catholic Church has no say in the operations of the Preda Foundation and never interfered in any of its cases. In fact, Preda has been critical of clerical child abuse and church inaction.
Agents of the NBI made a surveillance of the house of Zimmer and with social workers of the DSWD took the children into custody as mandated by law. Zimmer, apparently intoxicated, made dire threats and resisted the social workers and police and threw a spear at the social workers and police. She acted as if above the law and was detained and charged with assaulting a person in authority and the illegal detention of children. See sworn statement of NBI agents. She has blamed Preda Foundation and Fr. Shay Cullen for this.
*Affidavit of NBI arresting officers
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Judge Bautista mysteriously dismissed the case against Zimmer by saying in his judgment that the rescue of the children by the DSWD was illegal and should have been with an arrest warrant. But the law states otherwise. Children can be taken into DSWD custody when there is evidence of neglect. Zimmer immediately fled to the United States despite a still pending arrest warrant for her on other charges for assaulting persons in authority.
Zimmer, to get more revenge against Preda and Fr.Shay Cullen, cites a case from 20 years ago wherein Preda social workers rescued a six-year old sexually abused child who was admitted to the Preda home for abused children.
When the prosecutor decided to file charges against the son of the housekeeper whom the six-year old child claimed abused her many times, the US national then filed baseless kidnapping charges against Fr. Shay and Preda, a habeas corpus case to get the child out of Preda children’s home and then filed child abuse charges against Fr. Shay Cullen.
Contrary to Zimmer’s claim, this case against Fr Shay Cullen 20 years ago was not covered up. The prosecutor dismissed these false charges. When filed again, they were dismissed by the Legal Office of the President and when that was appealed to the Supreme Court, the justices too dismissed them as baseless and manufactured without foundation. There was no church involvement whatsoever. Zimmer has no evidence to support any of her false assertions.
Despite the false claims of a very ignorant Zimmer who has strong evidence of child abuse against her and who is prone to revenge-seeking, lying and spreading fake stories, the reputation and integrity of Preda Foundation and Fr. Shay Cullen remains strong and unsullied. Preda and Fr. Shay Cullen has been nominated four times for the Nobel Peace Prize, the latest in 2017 by the German Parliamentarians. They are the recipient of numerous awards for child protection.
For more information, email [email protected]
