Trafficking, child abuse raps vs US couple dropped

TAGBILARAN CITY—The American couple accused of running an orphanage here without a permit was released on Tuesday after the complaints of human trafficking and child abuse were dismissed by the city prosecutor.

Matthew Dwinells, 56, and his wife, Dalisay, 63, walked out of the detention cell of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) after receiving an order from the city prosecutor’s office. Lawyer Arcelito Albao, NBI supervising agent in Bohol province, said the prosecutor’s office dismissed the complaints filed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) against the couple for lack of probable cause.

The Dwinells couple, who founded the Street Kids Philippine Missions, were arrested by NBI agents in a raid on a two-story house in Barangay Bool here on Oct. 22 for supposedly operating an orphanage without proper documents.

They were also accused of human trafficking after the couple failed to present proof that the children were taken from their homes with the consent of their parents.

The 29-page resolution, which was signed by Tagbilaran City Prosecutor Julius Cesar, said the couple merely lacked documents and a permit to run an orphanage. The DSWD, it said, failed to prove that the couple committed human trafficking and child abuse especially that the children were not forced to stay in the facility.

The Dwinells couple also did not force or use the children to work for profit, which had been cited in some child abuse cases, the resolution said.

Through the investigation, none of the 38 children who lived with the couple complained that they were mistreated.

Albao said the NBI, a co-complainant, will file a motion for reconsideration. The DSWD, on Friday, had yet to issue a statement on the complaint’s dismissal.

The NBI rescued 28 minors and 10 others, aged 18 and 19, during the raid. Reports said 35 of the orphanage’s wards are from Cebu province while the others came from Leyte province and Negros Island.

The couple are missionaries who identify themselves as directors of the Street Kids Philippine Missions, which has been operating for six years. It rescues street children in Cebu City.

Matthew said they did not violate any law and were merely behind in the processing of permits to run the orphanage. He refuted allegations of human trafficking, saying they had consent from the parents of the children although he failed to present any written proof.

The Dwinells couple presented a permit from the Office of the Mayor in Dauis town, which gave them authority to run an orphanage in the town. The permit, however, expired on Dec. 31, 2015.

Dalisay said they had enrolled the children in various schools in Bohol.