Oh! How They Love Filipinos!

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First Published: Reflections - Philippine Daily Inquirer Publication Date: 27th January 1994 Author's Name: Father Shay Cullen SSC

Last Friday 21 January a suspected Australian paedophile Victor Keith Fitzgerald was arrested by NBI agent Magno Britanico in Olongapo City on his yacht with three small children on board, seven, nine and thirteen years old.

This alone is a direct violation of the child protection act R.A. 7610 section 6,a.

The tiny seven year old child told social workers that "Victor" made her sleep in his bed on the boat.

Fitzgerald was brought before Olongapo prosecutor Rodolfo B Santos but it was the children who were scolded by the prosecutor and despite overwhelming evidence including the testimonies of several witnesses and photographs the suspect was set free with apologies.

Santos must be investigated.

The NBI agent, Magno Britanico, confiscated Fitzgerald's passport but later after a private meeting with Fitzgerald the passport was returned.

Fitzgerald sailed away.

Britanico took a short holiday in Naga and would not release a copy of his testimony to Reflections. I wonder would Santos and Britanico allow their own children to stay overnight with Fitzgerald?

Foreign paedophiles know they can have sex with children with impunity and so flock to the Philippines. Foreign governments are furious too. Some are enacting laws to prosecute paedophiles who abuse children while abroad and return to their home country but they expect the Philippines to prosecute the criminals when they can.

The colonial mentality is alive and strong in the Philippines. Nowhere is it more perversely seen than in the deference and special treatment and pardon that is routinely and slavishly served up to foreigners by government officials in regard to crime.

The paedophile can rape and sexually abuse our small children and go scot free. Our country is becoming known as a child sex capital of the world.

The National Government must take responsibility and local government, like in Olongapo, must stop harassing child care centers who expose the abuse.

The forced prostitution of children is being increasingly regarded by the world community and the United Nations as a crime against humanity and one day will declare it so. NGO's in other countries are starting a campaign to pressure their governments to deny foreign aid to the Philippines and others unless the authorities implement the child protection laws and respect the U.N.Convention on the rights of the child.

They must get tough with corrupt police and prosecutors who aid and abet the abuse and jail the guilty.

The Department of Justice through Undersecretary Ramon Esquerra has begun to do something by creating a special prosecutor's task force to protect children and an NBI investigation team at the urging of NGO's.

They also conduct educational seminars on Republic Act 7610, with UP law school about the new child protection law to educate judges, prosecutors and police.

Knowing is one thing implementation is another. They must prosecute too the corrupt prosecutors and police.

The special treatment for foreign paedophiles is particularly galling.

President Ramos personally ordered the arrest of the suspects in the rape of two young American women in Baguio. But no such intervention and special treatment for the three children abused by Fitzgerald in Olongapo.

Some months ago President Ramos personally assured this writer of his support in the campaign to protect children. Reflections asks the President to investigate the crooked prosecutors who allow the paedophile to escape justice.

The NGO's will help the children, the Government must catch the criminals. Which means that some must catch themselves.

I don't know of any convicted paedophile who is serving a sentence in a Philippine jail at present. Here are a few of the many who were let go:

• Stefen Ritter, an Austrian, convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the homicide and sexual abuse of a 12 year old, Rosario Baluyot in Olongapo, was released in March 1992 on a technicality.
• Jean Paul Bernold, 71, Swiss arrested in Marinduque for sex abuse of children. The Bureau of Immigration released him without charges December 6 1993
• Bernd Niereuz, 34, German, arrested in Pasay with naked boys and making pornography videos. Pasay City police released him after accepting 5000 pesos. The parents were warned by police not to press charges against the tourist.
• Davy Vauche, American from San Deigo, California ,arrested for raping a boy, a grade 4 child in Pagsanjan, May 1993. He was released without charge.
• Shinichiro Ishii, Japanese arrested for raping Filipina children, was never charged and later released without charge by the Bureau of Immigration.
• Lawrence Venaska, US Military, raped 6 Filipino boys and girls in Olongapo and was set free. He is now in Florida.

Oh! How they love the Filipinos !

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