THE Senate issued an order on Thursday for the apprehension of the president and three prominent members of Socorro Bayanihan Services, Inc. (SBSI), an alleged religious group facing serious accusations of human trafficking, abduction, involvement in child marriages, and sexual exploitation of minors since 2019.
During a joint committee investigation into SBSI led by the Public Order and Dangerous Drugs Committee in collaboration with the Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality panels, Senator Risa Hontiveros raised concerns regarding SBSI’s endorsement of child marriages.
Her inquiry was based on an official SBSI document titled “Family Planning Certificate,” which indicated the marriage of a 15-year-old girl to an adult man.
In response, the leaders of SBSI, Jey Rence “Senior Agila” Quilario and Mamerto Galanida, strongly denied these allegations during the inquiry.
However, Senator Hontiveros appeared unsatisfied with their responses and moved to cite Quilario, Galanida, Ajoc, and Karren Sanico Jr., all ranking members of the organization, in contempt.
No objections were raised by fellow senators.
Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, chairman of the Public Order panel, supported the motion and instructed the Senate’s sergeant-at-arms to take custody of the four SBSI leaders.
Earlier this month, the Department of Justice reported that the four detained SBSI leaders, along with nine others, were facing complaints for allegedly abusing over a thousand children.
(Benjie Cuaresma/ai/mnm)