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Complaints vs SBSI leader 'Senior Agila,' others submitted for resolution –DOJ
The complaints filed against Socorro Bayanihan Services Inc. (SBSI) leader Jey Rence Quilario, also known as Senior Agila, and others were submitted for resolution, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Friday.
“[T]he preliminary investigation was concluded, and efforts are being made to resolve the case as expeditiously as possible,” DOJ Spokesperson Mico Clavano said in a statement.
Quilario, along with Mamerto Galanida, Janeth Ajoc, and Karren Sanico, had attended the preliminary probe on the complaints of qualified trafficking, kidnapping and serious illegal detention, violation of the act prohibiting child marriage, and violation of the Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act filed against them and nine others at the DOJ.
The four were processed separately from the victims and the other witnesses.
Meanwhile, Atty. Hillary Olga Reserva, the legal counsel of the SBSI, said they
Olga declined to disclose the content of the affidavit, saying she believed she was barred from discussing the matter.
She also declined to comment on the proceedings, citing the sub-judice rule.
Reserva said their camp also opposed the hold departure order sought by the NBI against the respondents.
“Of course, we opposed, but everything we laid down with regard to our opposition has been raised before the DOJ already. So, I think I’m still barred by the sub-judice rule to say the grounds and what happened,” she said.
However, Clavano said this matter had also been submitted for resolution.
“After thorough arguments and counterarguments presented by both parties, the motion for PHDO application was submitted for resolution,” he said.
Reserva, meanwhile, hoped that their arguments would be taken into consideration.
“We are hoping that everything that we raised in the counter-affidavit would be taken into consideration in the filing of this case,” Reserva said.
Following the hearing, Quilario, Galanida, Ajoc, and Sanico returned to the Senate, where they continued to be detained after they were cited in contempt after repeatedly denying that child marriages took place at Sitio Kapihan, Surigao del Norte, despite testimonies from victims.
The issue came to light after Senator Risa Hontiveros alleged in September that more than 1,000 minors were being sexually abused by a religious “cult” in Socorro town, Surigao del Norte.
Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty has said the DOJ was looking to release the resolution of the complaints by mid-November.
“We remain committed to ensuring a fair and thorough investigation, respecting the rights and welfare of all parties involved,” Clavano said. — DVM, GMA Integrated News
