SEN. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa yesterday said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) should review the agreement that allowed the Socorro Bayanihan Services Inc. to occupy a protected area in Sitio Kapihan, Barangay Sering in Socorro town, Surigao del Norte.
Dela Rosa issued the statement after making an ocular inspection last Saturday of the 353-hectare protected area being used by the SBSI as a sanctuary for its more than 5,000 members which he said encourages “cultism” since they are in a secluded area.
“The DENR plays a crucial role here. That’s why I am advising DENR to revisit, restudy their agreement if the SBSI can still be allowed to stay there or revoke the agreement. They are in a secluded environment and I don’t think cultism will flourish (if the SBSI will not be allowed to stay there anymore). It will die a natural death. That’s the key here — whether to revoke or relocate them,” Dela Rosa said.
Dela Rosa was referring to the Protected Area Community-Based Resource Management Agreement which was entered into by the DENR with the SBSI on June 15, 2004 and will last until 2029.
The DENR had earlier suspended the PACBRMA of the SBSI for certain violations, including the restrictions of entry, the establishment of structures, and the setting up of checkpoints.
The DENR said it has tried to conduct an ocular inspection of the 353-hectare protected area but was always prevented by SBSI members.
The PACBRMA allows certain groups of individuals to develop and conserve a portion of a protected area based on the provisions under the Community Resources Management Plan (CRMP).
The DENR office in the Caraga region said a total of 12 PACBRMAs were executed by different organizations in Surigao del Norte, seven of them in Socorro town.
Dela Rosa said if the DENR revokes the PACBRMA with SBSI, the local government of Socorro should allow the members to settle in the lowlands.
“In case the DENR revokes the PACBRMA, the local government should not treat SBSI members as outsiders. There is animosity between SBSI and the Socorro municipal government.” he said, adding all indications are leading him to conclude that the SBSI is a “cult.”
“By all definitions, the SBSI is a cult. There is strict reverence to a single person, that’s a cult. Their leader being a quack doctor of sorts and being believed by the members, is also a cult. All the women have short hair. They just follow what their leader tells them to do,” Dela Rosa said.
Dela Rosa also said that SBSI president Jey Rence Quilario, who calls himself Senyor Aguila, did not allow its sick members to get medical attention from hospitals in Surigao del Norte.
Instead, Quilario gave sick members “goat coffee” and “goat candy,” both of which were made from goat manure, as medicines.
“That’s very unsanitary. You cannot give that to someone unless he or she is a cult member. Who will drink (coffee with) goat manure just to get better? They are those who have blind obedience, blind faith towards the cult leader,” he said.
He said during the ocular inspection, SBSI members that he talked to were apparently “briefed” as they gave uniform answers to his questions, an indication they were “shielding” their leaders.
Dela Rosa said a mass grave in Sitio Kapihan, where at least 22 children were buried, did not have a permit from the local government unit. He has asked the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct an investigation “surrounding the death of the children.”
“If it will come out during the investigation that Senyor Aguila prevented them from seeking medical attention, he has a lot explaining to do,” Dela Rosa said.
He said the Department of Social Welfare and Development should start counseling minors forced to marry older men for their mental well-being.
Quilario, SBSI vice president Mamerto Galanida, and SBSI officials Karen Sanico and Janether Ajoc were cited in contempt during the first Senate hearing last month after they denied forcing minor females from marrying older men.
Dela Rosa said the four would stay at the Senate building but was open to the idea of having them transferred to the Pasay City Jail.
Dela Rosa said he would call for another hearing when most of the senators have returned to the country since many of them are abroad, taking advantage of the Halloween break.
PROGRAMS NEEDED
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has partnered with other government agencies to identify programs and services needed by the members of Socorro Bayanihan Services Inc. amid ongoing investigations about alleged violations committed by some leaders of the group.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian met with the representatives from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Education (DepEd), and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to determine the needed programs.
Also present were representatives of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Philippine Statistics Office (PSA), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
Also in attendance were representatives from the PNP and Gawad Kalinga (GK).
Gatchalian had ordered the DSWD to conduct a probe on reports that the SBSI had been collecting the benefits due Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino (4Ps) and Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) beneficiaries who are part of the group.
Last June, complaints for qualified trafficking, kidnapping and serious illegal detention, and violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Anti-Child Abuse law were been filed against Quilario and 12 others before the Surigao City Prosecutors Office. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
