Philippine National Police chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) have started investigating the circumstances surrounding an alleged cult targeting children in Socorro, Surigao del Norte, according to PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr.
Acorda said they have already coordinated with the province’s local police to help them gather evidence on “Socorro Bayanihan Services Inc.” — a cult led by Jey Rence Quilario, who purportedly “engage in acts of sexual abuse and violence against minors,” as earlier revealed by Senator Risa Hontiveros.
“This is now being handled by the NBI we already talked to local police within the area and provincial director and they informed us na nagtutulungan naman sila (they are helping each other). They are helping in gathering evidence,” Acorda told reporters
The PNP chief also encouraged witnesses to come forward and help them build a solid case against the suspects.
On Monday, Hontiveros, the chairperson of the Senate committee on women, children, family
relations, and gender equality, filed Resolution No. 797, seeking to investigate Socorro Bayanihan Services Inc., which has 3,650 members, including 1,587 minors.
READ: Hontiveros raises plight of children victimized by cult in Surigao del Norte
Based on the first-hand testimonies she gathered, the cult leader would facilitate marriages of 12-year-old children with adult members on top of ordering minors to sleep with him.
Moreover, witnesses claimed to have seen members commit murder and a shabu laboratory, among others.