‘Dios Amahan’ entrusts all to God

Casiano Apduhan of Balamban town wipes his tears during inquest proceedings at the Cebu Provincial Prosecutors’ Office.

With tears and sweat running down his face, suspected cult leader Casiano “Tatay Loloy” Apduhan appeared in handcuffs before the prosecutor yesterday and said he was ready to face any charges against him.

“Ang kabubut-on na lang sa Ginoo ang bahala (I entrust everything to God.),” said the 46-year-old former barangay councilor.

Called “Dios Amahan” by his members, he was mostly silent during the inquest proceedings.

He had no lawyer to defend him, which almost delayed the proceedings.

He had to make a last-minute request to a free legal aide lawyer, Delfin Quilaquil, who was at the IBP building yesterday, to sign his waiver of detention.

He was accompanied by two daughters and agents of the National Bureau of Investigation.

Apduhan is facing charges of serious illegal detention and illegal possession of firearms for purportedly detaining 33-year-old Emma Nepomuceno inside his house in barangay Buanoy, Balamban town, western Cebu where NBI agents discovered a 50-foot-deep tunnel and the remains of a 14-year-old boy buried in an underground niche.

They also found Nepomuceno, whose family in Balamban had been looking for her for more than five years. NBI agents confiscated two .38 caliber revolvers during the raid.

Also charged was his driver Victor Fajardo.

Both were given until April 4 to submit counter-affidavits.

“You need to present witnesses to prove your claims. Otherwise, you’ll have an uphill climb ahead,” said Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Jay Paradiang.

NBI-7 supervising agent Rey Villordon said additional complaints for murder, child abuse, and human trafficking will be filed against Apduhan.

Apduhan and his daughter Cristille, 22, cried.

“Mangita kog paagi nga ma-solusyonan ning tanan,” Cristille said. (I’ll find a way to solve this.)
Her elder sister, Seanrez, was upset at the media for repeatedly asking whether Apduhan was a cult leader.

“We’ve been saying that our father is not running a cult. That’s why your story is not the top news anymore,” an angry Seanrez said in Cebuano.

“We’re being portrayed, as having lots of gold yet we don’t even have a lawyer to defend my father,” she added.

Apduhan has to explain why the decomposing body of 14-year-old Angelo Repuela was buried in a tunnel underneath his two-story bungalow.

Apduhan vehemently denied owning the gun or being responsible for the dead boy’s burial there.

He also denied keeping Nepomuceno, a married woman, in his house against her will.

He said she was considered “part of the family” since the time she left an abusive husband last year and joined his houshold. He said Nepomuceno would vouch for him.

The NBI said they rescued the woman, who is now being housed in a rehabilitation center to undergo pscyho-social intervention.