Three children have recalled their dark experience inside alleged cult, Socorro Bayanihan Services, Inc. (SBSI) in Surigao del Norte.
During a Senate hearing into the alleged abuses on Socorro Island on Thursday, children under the aliases "Jane," "Renz," and "Coco" narrated how they were engaged in different abuses and harassment inside the cult, such as being forced into marriage and trained as soldiers despite their young age.
Jane, 15, said she was married at the age of 14, while her husband was 18.
She admitted that SBSI leader Jey Rence Quilario, known as Senior Agila, was the one who introduced her husband and also officiated the ceremony of their marriage.
"Sabi niya na unang step daw is ipapatawag 'yung mga secretaries tapos ililista kung sino ang single na lalaki at single na babae. Tapos ang age ng mga babae ay 12 pataas habang sa lalaki is 18 pataas, tapos si Senior Agila ang magpapari. Ikaw paired ka nitong isa. Hindi raw sila pwedeng humindi dahil yun yung pares nila," Atty. Ruth Restauro of the Center for Initiatives in Development Law, who translated Jane's testimony, said.
With a teary eyes, Jane said that they had signed a document which authorized his husband to rape her as "they were already married."
Under the law of the group, a wife should give herself to her husband in three days. Otherwise, they will be called "adios", a term defined as a sin if they did not agree to have sex with their partner.
Aside from her husband, Jane said Senior Agila also wanted to have sex with her.
Moreover, if they do not follow rules, she said they would face punishments such as paddles, roletas, and restrictions.
Another minor victim is Renz, 12, who was able to escape Sitio Kapihan and reported the firearms inside the island.
Renz said that his father was ordered to remarry in Kapihan, but his mother disapproved.
"Minsan ay inutusan ang aking ama na magpakasal ulit doon sa kapihan. Ayaw ng nanay ko na magpakasal ulit ang tatay ko dahil masisira ang pamilya namin," he said.
Renz emotionally said he is not in school but living in a "baraks" and being trained in Kapihan.
Despite his age, Renz said he still doesn't know how to write.
"Bawal sa kanila ang pumunta sa eskuwela kasi sabi ni Senior Agila, siya nga na Panginoon hindi siya nag aral, sila pa kaya," Restauro said.
Meanwhile, Coco claimed that like Renz, he undergone military training with the group.
When asked the reason he escaped the SBSI, he broke down and was unable to finish his story.
Senior Agila, on the other hand, denied the allegations that he is restricting children from going to school.
However, Socorro Mayor Riza Timcang cited a Department of Education's (DepED) that there were a massive dropout of learners from elementary and high school in 2019.
Mark Gelsano, a former soldier in Quilario's special army, claimed that there was a time when they had to take a female back after she tried to flee the organization.
According to Gelsano, the girl was later married against her will.
SBSI's operations came to light after Senator Risa Hontiveros, who chairs the Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, claimed in a privilege speech last week that a religious "cult" in the town of Socorro was sexually abusing more than 1,000 minors.
"The cult is the vehicle they use to perpetrate the multiple abuses on the children...The cult is the cover to avoid scrutiny, the cult is what they use to provide impunity to its leaders," she said.
