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Task force shelters minors who fled Socorro Bayanihan group: Bato

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Sherrie Ann Torres, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="" testifies="" at="" the="" Senate="" hearing="" on="" allegations="" of="" abuse="" Socorro="" Bayanihan="" Services="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/09/28/20230928-alias-jane.jpg"/><figcaption>&quot;Jane&quot; testifies at the Senate hearing on allegations of abuse at the Socorro Bayanihan Services Inc. </figcaption></figure></div>MANILA — Children who are alleged to have been victims of Socorro Bayanihan Services, Inc., an organization in Surigao del Norte that is under investigation for reports of forced marriage involving minors and other alleged abuses, will remain in government custody, Sen. Ronald &quot;Bato&quot; Dela Rosa said Sunday.He also said that children that the group said should be allowed to appear before senators to debunk allegations have yet to be cleared to testify. In an interview on &quot;Ano&#x27;ng Ganap?&quot; on TeleRadyo Serbisyo, Dela Rosa said the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking will have custody of children who escaped from SBSI for now.&quot;I was informed by the (committee) Secretariat na pinirmahan na ni Secretary Boying Remulla yung kanilang actions na ginawa ng IACAT para i-custody ang mga bata,&quot; he said, referring to the Department of Justice-led body.<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2825100" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>At a Senate hearing this week, former Socorro mayor Mamerto Galanida appealed to senators dela Rosa and Risa Hontiveros to allow two child witnesses in the group&#x27;s defense. The move was aimed at countering the allegations hurled against SBSI by at least three minors who said they had been forced to marry at age 12, trained as a child soldier and made to perform hard labor. The two children Galanida asked the Senate to let testify are still in the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development for evaluation. &quot;Sabi nila (DSWD) it will take some time. Sabi nila, hindi pa talaga nila ma-establish yung fitness nung mga bata. Baka sila rin ang sisisihin... meron tayong batas na sinusunod pagdating sa mga bata. Hindi pa raw talaga ready ang mga bata,&quot; dela Rosa said.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/09/28/23/senior-agila-authorized-rape-of-child-brides-alias-jane">Senior Agila authorized rape of child brides: Alias Jane</a></li></ul><div>Bato: &#x27;Señor Aguila&#x27; just a dummy</div>In the same interview, Dela Rosa said Jey Rence Quilario, known to his followers as Señor Aguila, may just be a &quot;dummy&quot; for people acting as his advisers.Dela Rosa, chair of the Senate Public Order and Dangerous Drugs Committee, said he arrived at that conclusion because of testimonies of the alleged child victims and other former members of the SBSI. Group leaders have maintained their innocence of allegations of child abuse, underage marriage and extortion.&quot;Nakikita ko na talagang itong si Jey Rence Quilario...ay ginamit lang itong front, ginamit lang itong figurehead ng organisasyon in order to get adherence and loyalty ng mga miyembro,&quot; he said on TeleRadyo Serbisyo.Members of SBSI believe Quilario is the incarnation of the Holy Child Jesus and has divine powers. &quot;Lahat ng mga policies, lahat ng decision-making ng SBSI ay hindi siya personal na nagde-decide, kundi yung grupo ng advisers sa likod nya na sinusunod niya,&quot; dela Rosa said on the &quot;Ano&#x27;ng Ganap?&quot; program.Apart from Galanida, business owner Karren Sanico, and Sanico&#x27;s secretary Janeth Anoc have been identified as Quilario&#x27;s supposed advisers.Quilario, Sanico and Ajoc are under Senate detention, while Galanida has been brought to the Tondo Medical Center, a Senate source said.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/spotlight/09/29/23/kulto-ba-ang-socorro-bayanihan-services-inc">Kulto ba ang Socorro Bayanihan Services Inc?</a></li></ul>Quilario gave orders to SBSI followers Dela Rosa was quick to stress that even if Quilario is just being used as a dummy, it was still the 22-year-old SBSI leader who gave illegal instructions and who doled out punishments to members.&quot;Eto ang diperensya dyan, sa pagpapatakbo ng buong organization, hindi tayo naniniwala na ang organization as big as this is, ay kino-control ng isang 22 years old na second year high school na lumalabas talaga na medyo kulang sa kaalaman,&quot; he said.&quot;Pero, pagdating doon sa mga ginawang panga-abuso, very clear naman yung mga testimony ng mga kabataan na na si Jey Rence talaga ang nagkakasal sa kanila, at nagpumilit sa kanila na mag-sex.&quot;

Dela Rosa said the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking will have custody of children who escaped from SBSI for now.

Task force shelters minors who fled Socorro Bayanihan group: Bato

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Task force shelters minors who fled Socorro Bayanihan group: Bato

Sherrie Ann Torres,

ABS-CBN News

Published Oct 01, 2023 04:49 PM PHT

|

Updated Oct 03, 2023 08:06 PM PHT

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Socorro Bayanihan Services Inc.

Ronald Dela Rosa

Bato Dela Rosa

Senate

Socorro Bayanihan

SBSI

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