EMMA Nepomuceno burst into tears when she saw her mother Alicia and sister Gina at the Toledo City courthouse yesterday morning.
The three embraced each other and wept.
But it won’t be a joyful Mother’s Day tomorrow for the family from Balamban town.
Emma, the married daughter who had been “missing” for five years, only to be found living in the same neighborhood, continued to defend “Tatay Loloy”, head of the Dios Amahan group in whose house she’s been living since 2001.
“Si Tatay ang akong dalangpanan. Gusto kog kalinaw sa utok mao nga ni-puyo ko sa ilang balay. Unya inyong ingon ani-on si Tatay? (Tatay is my refuge. I wanted to have peace of mind, that’s why I decided to live in their house. Why are you doing this to Tatay?),” she said referring to the ongoing court cases, which had Apduhan in jail charged with serious illegal detention, murder and child abuse.
The reunion was not their first since the time Emma was “rescued” from the house by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on March 26.
She rejected government protection and returned to the houeshold of the man who is revered by her and other followers as a third-generation faith healer, even a “god”.
In an emotional encounter, Emma revealed her hurt feelings and one of the reasons she left home – the alleged infidelity of her husband, a welder working Kuwait.
“Nangita ko sa ako bana sulod sa usa ka tuig kapin. Wala man gani siya nagpadala og allotment. Unya, nahibaw-an na lang nako nga naa siyay kapuyo og duna silay anak. (I was looking for my husband for over a year. He didn’t even send me an allotment. And then, I learned that he has a live-in partner and that they have a child),” she said.
She hinted disappointment for the lack of support from the rest of her family during her domestic crisis.
Family troubles surfaced in the conversation, which took place along the corridor of the Toledo Palace of Justice, where several news reporters were present to cover the trial.
Emma’s mother listened to her daughter’s distress and shared her own.
“Nagpahibaw unta ka namo nga naa ra ka dinhi. Nagpaabot kog text gikan sa gawas kay ingon nga didto ka sa Italy. Nagpasakit ba ko nimog istorya? Sobra ka namo kapinangga unya imo mi nga ingon ani-on? (You should have told us that you’re just here. I kept waiting to receive a text message from you. You told us you’re in Italy? Have I told you something that hurt you? We love you so much but is this how you treat us?)”
Emma told her mother it was a mistake to have brought in the NBI and the Provincial Women’s Commission, if the family had wanted to iron out differences.
“Wala unta ninyo gipaagi og ingon niini. Inyo na lang unta ko nga giadto. Maayong tawo si Tatay. Dako kog utang-kabubut-on niya. (You shouldn’t have done it this way. You should have just gone to see me at the house. Tatay is a good man. I owe him a big debt of gratitude,” she added.
It was Alicia’s formal complaint last March to the office of Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, head of the PWC, seeking help to locate her “missing” daughter that led to the discovery of the Dios Amahan cult and a raid at the Balamban mansion.
Asked later by reporters what was her relationship with Apduhan, Emma replied “Ila ko giisip nga anak. (They consider me as one of their children.)”
Emma embraced her mother and sister several times, saying that family was important.
She said she already visited her mother after she was released by the DSWD but continues to live in Apduhan’s household.
She later told Cebu Daily News she would visit home again on her birthday on May 13.
(Ironically, another sister, Grace, who is a follower of the Dios Amahan group had earlier filed a petition for habeas corpus and secured the release of Emma from custody of the Dept. of Social Welfare and Development.)
Her sad mother told CDN she hopes Emma, the fifth of eight children, returns to them for good.
Naglabad ang akong ulo. Na-problema ko sa akong anak. Iya ra man unta nga bana ang dunay sala, ambot kon nganong iya ming gi-apil. (My head is aching. I have a problem with my daughter. It was her husband who committed a mistake. I don’t know why she resents us as well),” said Alicia.
“Lisud ning mahimong inahan, labi na kon butang-butangan kag sala. Nahiubos siya nako. (It’s difficult being a mother especially if you are accused of wrongdoing. She’s resentful towards me),” Alicia said.