Surigao del Norte: 3-day darkness rumors sent people to buy more rice

Chris Panganiban - @inquirerdotnet 04/09/2024

SAN FRANCISCO, AGUSAN DEL SUR—Some residents of remote villages in Socorro town of Surigao del Norte went into “panic buying” rice after hearing about rumors of three days without sun and a world plunged into total darkness.…

Gov’t aid for indigents diverted by Socorro cult

Russel Loreto 10/22/2023

MANILA, Philippines — Members of the Socorro Bayanihan Services Inc. (SBSI) have admitted to diverting government aid meant for indigent senior citizens and beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to fund the group. They made…

Dela Rosa: NBI told to investigate child deaths in ‘Socorro cult’ village

Charie Abarca 10/16/2023

MANILA, Philippines —  Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa has asked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate the circumstances behind the reported deaths of children in Sitio Kapihan, the village in Socorro, Surigao del Norte occupied…

‘Worse than expected’: Senate inspection on Sitio Kapihan reveals irregularities

Angeline Marcelino 10/14/2023

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs inspected Sitio Kapihan in Surigao del Norte and found the situation to be worse than expected. In a statement, Senator Risa Hontiveros said the committee…

Alleged Socorro ‘cult’ leader faces DOJ prosecutors during clarificatory hearing

Tetch Torres-Tupas 10/09/2023

MANILA, Philippines — Jey Rence Quilario or Senior Agila, the head of the Socorro Bayanihan Services Inc. (SBSI), faced the prosecutors from the Department of Justice (DOJ) in a clarificatory hearing Monday, Oct. 9, on complaints of…

DENR suspends deal with Surigao del Norte ‘cult’

Dexter Cabalaza 10/01/2023

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has suspended an agreement that allows the controversial Socorro Bayanihan Services Inc. (SBSI) to use over 300 hectares of protected land in Surigao del Norte. Environment Secretary Maria Antonia…

‘Socorro cult’ leader has power to stop rain, says ex-member

Charie Abarca 09/30/2023

MANILA, Philippines – A former member of  the Socorro Bayanihan Services Inc. (SBSI) claimed that alleged cult leader Jey Rence “Senior Agila” Quilario has the power to stop rain and make birds sing. Former educator and ex-member…

Grave threats delayed case vs. alleged Surigao del Norte cult, says DOJ

Jean Mangaluz 09/25/2023

MANILA, Philippines — Grave threats hindered the progress of a previous case filed against an alleged sex cult in Socorro, Surigao del Norte, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said on Monday, Sept. 25. In June, several charges…

Surigao gov seeks deeper probe on alleged ‘shabu’ lab in cult village

Chris Panganiban 09/23/2023

SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur — Surigao del Norte Gov. Lyndon Barbers on Tuesday met with members of a provincial interagency task force to further investigate the alleged shabu laboratory inside a cult-infested community in the island…

Ex-member of ‘Soldiers of God,’ teen survivor testify vs religious ‘cult’

Maila Ager 09/21/2023

MANILA,  Philippines — A former member of the so-called “Soldiers of God” and a teenage girl “survivor” were the latest to testify against an alleged cult based in Sitio Kapihan, Surigao del Norte. Their testimonies were revealed in two…

DSWD probes ‘Socorro cult’ getting 4Ps cash grants, members’ pensions

Charie Abarca 09/21/2023

MANILA, Philippines — Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian said they are now investigating reports of an alleged cult in Surigao del Norte supposedly collecting the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and other cash grants of…

Complaint filed vs leaders of Surigao religious cult

Marlon Ramos, Tina G. Santos 09/21/2023

MANILA, Philippines — A complaint has been filed against leaders of the alleged religious “cult” Socorro Bayanihan Services Inc. before the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office of Surigao del Norte, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Mico Clavano,…

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