FTMS Filipino Tribe Mission

25/01/2023

07/08/2022

Three life sentences each for human trafficking and child abuse
Fr. Shay Cullen
5 August 20122

They are now convicted human traffickers and child abusers, the two sisters Gabriela Adilyn and Roxanne Martirez from Subic, Zambales. They will serve three life sentences each in prison, deprived of family, home, children, comfort and a productive life. They are intelligent people. They knew right from wrong but they chose to do evil, to seduce and groom and train five young teenage girls and 14 young girls over 18 to be s*x workers. They made them believe that by selling themselves to s*x tourists, they would have an exciting well-paid life.

In a 37-page decision, Judge Gemma Theresa B. Hilario-Logronio of the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court found the two sisters guilty of the crime of qualified trafficking and child s*xual abuse. The good judge said in her decision that the accused “maliciously took advantage of their minority, innocence and vulnerability by injecting into their young minds the desire for material luxurious things in exchange for their dignity, not only as a woman but as a human being.” The minors must get due justice, she said, and they did. After being rescued by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and recovering for several months in the Preda Foundation home for trafficked and abused children, they were empowered and realized they had been exploited and cheated. They decided to testify against the traffickers. They explained what happened, clearly and truthfully, and convinced the judge. The minors are now reintegrated to their supportive families and studying with help of the aftercare program of the Preda Foundation.

The Martirez sisters trafficked and abused the minors and others for the money believing that selling young people for s*x, as millions do, is just okay because it is common practice in the Philippines and elsewhere, although illegal. Only child rights defenders and protectors protest and campaign against it. This is a nation of strict laws against child abuse and trafficking with flexible interpretation by the populace and weak or sometimes no implementation by the authorities. Some local governments issue licenses and permits to operators of s*x bars, resorts and hotels for lucrative private payments of fees and perhaps a share in the profits. Police and officials frequent these places and indulge in s*x activity. It is just business to them.

The victims of trafficking were rescued by the Manila-based Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Division (AVAWCD) of the NBI and social workers in cooperation with the Preda Foundation homes for trafficked and abused children. The Martirez sisters were arrested and jailed and now convicted. The youth victims suffered post-traumatic stress disorder.

Much of the modern world has lost its respect for human rights and the rights of the child in recent years. One in every three or four children have experienced s*xual abuse, many suffer trauma. These victims of trafficking and s*x abuse are the children of neglect, boys and girls as young as 12, the throwaway children of broken homes. Abused and r***d at home, they run away to the streets. They have no trust in the government, no assistance other than being jailed in the Bahay Pag-asa. They are quickly recruited by the human traffickers and pimps. They are the abused, abandoned children of society.

A research project by the Center for Women’s Resources discovered that a woman or child is s*xually abused every five minutes in the Philippines as if this is a national pastime and the abuse is seldom reported. When the crime is reported, it is not always noted in the police blotter or acted upon as police manipulate the statistics to show a low crime rate and success by doing nothing.

Human trafficking, child s*xual abuse and online s*xual abuse and exploitation of children is spreading at an unprecedented rate across the Philippines. It is the hub of child abuse online as the social media platforms Facebook, Tik-tok Instagram and others, through the Internet Service Providers (ISPs), s*xualize social media and allow the promotion of child s*xual abuse. The ISPs deny responsibility.

It is promoted and spread through the Internet by the Philippine Internet Service Providers (ISPs) backed by international finance. They are beyond government control and law enforcement can hardly monitor the trafficking of child abuse material. Images of child r**e can show up on cell phones and devices day and night. One example of many is three 10-year old boys have child abuse images on a mobile phone and they go r**e a six-year old girl.

There is no blocking software deployed by the ISPs. A new law, the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children Law (Anti-OSAEC Law) will help control their abusive activities. Human trafficking and the online s*xual abuse of even younger children is the worst evil in the Philippines and it is the shame and disgrace to the Filipino people who do too little to stop it and ignore child s*xual abuse.

Christians leaders, bishops, priests and laypeople should be outraged at the extent of human trafficking and child abuse in families and online and be motivated by faith to take every opportunity to help the victims by good deeds and action for justice and denounce the evil on the Internet that is pervading society. The worthwhile prayer is that which motivates people to act for justice. Where are the organized, militant Catholic internet “trolls” for human rights and child protection? None that I know of. We need the revival of Catholic social action groups in every parish, led by dedicated internet savvy students and youth fighting every day for social justice.

While on the streets outside, the parishioners should be having their weekly march for child rights, justice for the exploited and oppressed, before celebrating the Eucharist. Because that is what the Mass is, among other things, a celebration of Faith, that good will overcome evil. It is a meal of solidarity and friendship with Jesus of Nazareth and for the community to be bound together in commitment to living out the Gospel values of Jesus. They commit to fighting together, denouncing evil, and doing the good and the true.

That is our baptismal vow. Christian faith is acting on the belief that doing good and action for truth and justice will overcome evil in society. Without that action, faith is dead as Saint James has said. Without that commitment to act on our baptismal vows to reject evil and do good, there is little purpose to church-going besides attending rituals and rites. There is no magic in church.

The few brave church leaders that speak out take risks for the gospel and have true faith in protecting the rights of children and victims of human rights violations. They are true Christians of inspiration but we need many more of them.

This essay is shared from www.preda.org

Defenders of Children's Rights

11/03/2022

The Fighting Women of Ukraine
Fr. Shay Cullen
11 March 2022

The news reports streaming from Ukraine show the courageous resistance and the unity of Ukrainians to resist the power of the almighty Russian army of Vladimir Putin, the tyrant dictator ruling Russia as an autocracy. This is an immoral war, the killing and indiscriminate bombing of civilians denounced already by Pope Francis and world leaders. Nothing can justify it. While the fighting men of the Ukrainian army are on the front line, holding back the advancing tanks in a David and Goliath confrontation, the power of the women of Ukraine is seen working too.

Women worldwide are a power unto themselves and must be celebrated and admired for their talents, intelligence, and courageous action for justice and resisting evil. The Ukrainian women are doing this and a million are saving the children from cruel Russian bombs and bullets. The greatest weakness of a portion of the male population of the human race has been underestimating and refusing to acknowledge the power, influence, and importance of women in shaping and guiding society, and in some nations, ruling with wisdom. It is the women of the world that ensure the survival of the human species, not only through their unique nature and willingness, and ability to bear children and nurture them but also through their great contributions to many fields of education, law, and science. For many, they are the strength of the family and agents of social change in society.

They battle for their rights because weak and depraved males prey upon them and abuse and exploit women. Millions of women suffer violence, physical, psychological and s*xual abuse and are exploited in many unjust ways. They bravely resist, fight back and speak out against the powerful abusers and hold them to account by the movement whereby their voices are heard, amplified and listened to. Many abusers have been brought to justice including corrupt royals for abusing them as minors.

The Ukrainian women are showing the strength of the power of women to overcome the hardship of war and many have joined the Ukrainian resistance. They are learning to use weapons and others are in basements making camouflage nets and Molotov cocktails. These are petrol bombs in a bottle with soap powder mixed in and a petrol-soaked cloth on the top. They are moving from the kitchen to the frontline.

When a Russian tank passes below an apartment window, that Russian tank can expect brave, valiant Ukrainian women to light the cloth and throw it down on the tank close to the engine. That’s the most vulnerable spot where the soap powder makes the flames stick to the metal and they are sucked into the engine air intake and it ignites the fuel. Imagine a tank taken out with a few bottles of petrol and sticky soap. The Russians fear urban warfare and street fighting.

The war has stagnated near the capital Kyiv due to a huge strategic mistake by Putin. Like Hi**er, he wants to direct the war personally. He imagined the war would be a swift tank and bombing attack, swarms of Russian troops all over the cities in a few days and the Ukrainian government would surrender. Then, he would install his puppet government and rule from Moscow. It has not happened.

The Ukrainians are fighting back strongly and are bringing down helicopters and planes with Stinger ground to air hand-held rockets and air defense missiles. Several high-ranking Russian generals have been killed. Western nations cannot join the war or it will become a wide European war. The most lethal Western-supplied weapon is the shoulder-fired anti-tank missile, the Javelin. Many Russian tanks have been destroyed and verified Russian planes and helicopters shot down are at least 20 but Ukraine claims 48 Russian aircraft have been shot down. European nations and the USA are supplying thousands more weapons and assault rifles and ammunition. The done nations should make it possible for Ukraine to buy Russian-made Mig-29 fighters from Poland, Ukrainian pilots know how to fly them.

This Ukrainian resistance is an unprecedented challenge to an overwhelming modern Russian army ever seen in modern warfare. Led by a charismatic president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a former actor that played a president on TV and became president himself and is a powerful leader in this time of crisis. His TV experience at using the media to rally the people to fight back is invaluable.

Putin might eventually overwhelm Ukraine and destroy the cities and rule a total ruin. He is paying a heavy price already and it will be a Pyrrhic victory. When he does, there will be a Ukrainian government in a secret base fighting and directing an underground guerrilla resistance attacking Russians at will. It will be at a huge cost to Russia to try and occupy Ukraine.

Another big miscalculation for Putin has been the unity of the world’s nations. Asian nations and all free world nations except, China, India and some others, have joined in unity to stop Putin. He has united the EU, NATO and all nations against him. He has defeated himself in the long term and made himself a war criminal and the world is against him. The sanctions against Russian banking, trade, oil and gas and economic boycotts against products are growing, all will eventually cripple his economy and turn his people against him, too. Investors are fleeing and many thousands of Russian people are now unemployed.

The buyers of Russian oil and gas, the source of national revenue, are backing out and seeking alternative supplies. The oligarchs that surround him are losing their wealth, million-dollar villas and yachts are being seized, their bank accounts were frozen and their shares and stocks are in free-fall. There is nothing to be gained and much to be lost in the war made by Putin. The corrupt tyrant falls victim to his own corruption. Putin can’t win this war. He can only pretend to do so.

His massive crackdown on the media is not enough to stop the news eventually getting out to the Russian people that the war is doomed. They will realize they have been led into a quagmire with hundreds, if not thousands of their teenage soldiers, killed in a failed war. Weep for Ukraine but save a tear for the duped and misled Russians and their thousands of dead children and a destroyed economy.

To launch a war of aggression for no cause other than the lust for power and control is the evilest thing one can do and it is as stupid as stupid can be.

www.preda.org

Defenders of Children's Rights

23/02/2022

On October 30, 2021, Thor Klaveness, on behalf of FTMS, Filipino Tribe Mission, received the amount of SEK5000 (not to be confused by the dollar signs) from the lodge Mimer in Malmö, which is a part of the Swedish Lodge of Druidism (FGDO), as a donation to be used to help our feeding program for students.

At the same meeting, which was participated by the Norwegian lodge Merlins Stjerne, a part of the Norwegian Lodge of Druidism (FGDO), an additional SEK5000 was donated in line with the purpose.

Both the Swedish and Norwegian lodges are members of the International Grand-Lodge of Druidism (IGLD).

This gives that FTMS this evening received a total amount of SEK10,000 to be used within our feeding program. More about this program is presented in separate group for members.

With this, we offer our most humble thanks for the donations given.
God's peace