Haven of Hope

Four siblings who were rescued from a home-based cybersex enterprise in Cordova town, Cebu in 2011 enjoy a day outdoors on a lawn swing at a privately-run children’s care
facility in Cebu.

(PART 2)

Fe Saclot didn’t have much luck in love.

“Wala lang gyud tingali ko’y swerte sa gugma. (Perhaps, I am just not lucky in love),” said the 49-year-old native of Badian town, southern Cebu.

Her long journey to find love led her to a private-run child care center in Cebu City that nurtures kids who have lost parental care.

In 2011, she was assigned to take care of Martha and her six siblings who were rescued from a home-based cybersex enterprise in Cordova town, Cebu.

Saclot has since lived with them in their assigned home.

Little did she expect to find both love and work rolled into one.

“I love it here. I am so happy and I thank God for bringing me to this place. Perhaps, this is where I am destined to be,” said Saclot, who has remained single.

Family

Over time, she and her wards have learned to treat each other like family, sticking out for one another through thick and thin.

“I feel very happy. I enjoy the moment. Even if I am not their biological mother, I provide them with love and care like that of a real mom,” said Saclot who receives a P600 daily salary from the private-run facility.

Saclot said from the time the young cybersex victims arrived at the center, she has noticed several changes in the way that they behaved.

“After the rescue, they were so silent. They were depressed and won’t even open up,” she recalled.

One time, three of the teenagers slipped away after class to visit their mother and father who were both detained for operating the home-based cybersex enterprise.

Back then, the children were not allowed to visit the jail upon the advise of a child psychologist assigned on the case who said that it was not yet time for the exploited teens to see their parents.

But realizing that the teenagers’ strong desire to be with their parents outweighed any prohibition, Saclot eased up on the rule as long as permission to visit was asked beforehand.

With the passing of time coupled with numerous interventions and psychosocial programs in the center, the siblings slowly adopted to life away from their parents.

“Now, they openly talk about life. They must have gotten past the anguish. There’s just so much difference,” Saclot said.

Hopes

She expressed hopes that the children under her care will all live meaningful and productive lives in the future.

“As their nanay, it would be my pure joy to see them finish their studies so that they can have a bright future,” she said.

“When they each have families of their own someday, it would be nice to see them standing on their own feet,” added Saclot.

While it makes her sad to think that she will part ways with them soon, Saclot said seeing them stand up on their own is enough reason for her to rejoice.

“I know they would soon leave. But if they live their life well, that would be the greatest reward for me,” she said.

Resilience

Mario Victor Baang, director of the child care center, said that they were very happy that the six children rescued from the cybersex den in Cordova town in 2011 responded to their programs.

“Amid everything they went through, these guys were just very resilient. They don’t consider themselves as victims but survivors,” he said.

The siblings also take care of their youngest brother, now six years old, who was born while their mother was in jail.

“What is beautiful about them is they are so united. They take care of each other. And that is just awesome to behold,” Baang said.

The center, managed by Baang, has existed for over three decades.

It helps children, who do not have the care of their parents, by giving them a familial environment in a loving home, educational and health support, as well as psychological interventions.

At present, it is home to 118 children.

With the support of qualified professionals, the kids develop the right perspectives for their future, learn to shoulder responsibilities, and make their own decisions.

“Because they lost parental care, we try to provide them with something that is close to a real family. We are blessed and we will do what is to the best interest of the children,” Baang said.

“When they finish their studies, they will eventually go back to their community, connected to each other and reformed, becoming advocates of change for families that are still groping in the dark,” he added.

Trauma and rehabilitation

Cebu Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale said the healing process for the six children rescued from the cybersex enterprise was not easy.

“The trauma was just so deep, and the healing process was extremely hard. It took years of psycho-counseling,” said Magpale, co-chairperson of the Provincial Women’s Commission (PWC) who sought the help of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) after being tipped-off in 2011 about the existence of the Cordova cyberporn family through copies of DVDs showing videos of the children in lewd poses and other activities.

She was at the NBI office when the children were first brought in, and had to explain to the kids why they were being suddenly removed away from home.

Since then, Magpale has been monitoring their progress in the private-run center.

“There’s a big difference in how the children act now and when they first came here. Before, they looked so confused. That has completely changed. Their capacity to dream and aspire for something is back,” Magpale said.

“We’re very happy with the developments. One of them wants to become a social worker because of her experience with social workers. Another wants to have a decent living for the family and build a home for the siblings,” she said proudly.

The Cebu provincial government contributes P2,000 a month per child for their board and lodging as part of PWC’s commitment to the center.

Magpale recalled how the children first resented her as the one who separated them from their parents.

But with warm affection and her constant visits to the kids, along with the good words put in by the center’s staff, Magpale said they now welcome her as “Tita Agnes.”

“Truly, the most difficult aspect to deal with is the after-care of rescued victims because it involves not only the physical aspect, but also their emotional state. These children have been rehabilitated. Our objective is for them to be reintegrated back to society,” she said.

“The only thing we can’t give them right now is their request to allow their parents to enter into a plea bargaining agreement with state lawyers because we don’t want to be complacent especially that the mother did not show remorse,” explained Magpale.

A plea bargaining agreement allows the accused to plead guilty to the original criminal charge in return for a more lenient sentence.

Worst crime

Magpale vowed that there will be no let up in the campaign against cyberpornography and other forms of human trafficking especially because some people do not fear going to jail or getting arrested for exploiting children.

“It’s the worst crime you can commit. This has been alarming because we see the damage it does to children. Can you imagine how some mothers could do this to their children? They know very well that cases were already filed against persons who abused children but they don’t seem afraid,” she said.

Magpale issued an appeal to parents saying that poverty was not an excuse to engage in cyberpornography.

“Remember, money earned through this illegal trade is just passing. Don’t use easy money in exchange for your children’s future,” she said.

“Our very objective in rescuing these children, no matter the risks we have to go through, is that we believe one child saved is actually more than enough,” added Magpale. (To be continued)