Metro Manila (September 19) — Sen. Risa Hontiveros revealed a "cult" hiding in the mountains of Socorro, Surigao del Norte, on Monday, where rape, sexual assault, child abuse, and forced marriage are allegedly practiced.
In a speech under privilege, Hontiveros said, "What we have learned is dire and despicable... a community of children in Socorro, Surigao del Norte, is crying out for help."
"Ang pinag-uusapan nating mga bata ay higit sa isang libong kabataan na nasa kamay ng isang mapanlinlang, malupit, at mapang-abusong kulto," she continued.
We are talking about more than a thousand young kids who are being mistreated, brutalized, and abused by a cult.
The Senate Committee on Women and Children's Chair, Hontiveros, claimed that the purported cult behind the moniker "Socorro Bayanihan Services" began in 2017 after then-17-year-old "Jay Rence" was prepared to be the next "Messiah."
Rence was referred to as the Santo Nio's reincarnation and later given the title "Senior Agila" by Mamerto Galanida, the three-term mayor of Socorro and a previous board member.
According to the senator, Rence used the devastating earthquake that struck the area in 2019 as an opportunity to persuade followers to travel to the mountains in order to be "saved."
She continued, "Thousands of members of the organization made a mass evacuation to the mountain, which now had all the hallmarks of a religious cult.
More than one hundred elementary and high school teachers from the Socorro East and West Districts, according to the congressman, resigned in large numbers from the Department of Education.
She also reported that Socorro East and West District enrollments had decreased alarmingly by 847 students.
According to Hontiveros, the mountain allowed the cult to go on its operations undetected. And this is where the horrifying accounts of child abuse enter the picture.
Cult Funding
Hontiveros claims that the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program (AICS) of its members are the main sources of income for the cult.
She also asserted that cult leaders are engaged in the trafficking of illegal drugs.
According to Hontiveros, eight children have fled the cult as of July this year, but its leaders are using their clout to return the children to the highlands.
This article first appeared on CNN.
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