Saturday, April 29, 2006 (Philippines)

US Justice Department’s Jeff Cole and Cebu RTC Judge Olegario Sarmiento (above photo) meet with parents of the eight sex abuse victims from Cebu City and representatuves from World Vision Development, Inc., DSWD, and the US Homeland Security. The parents’ hardline stand was that they would rather have the program cancelled if they could not get the money directly. (Sun.star photo/Amper Campaña) A US trial court has awarded $16,000 or about P816,000 to eight Barangay Kama-gayan, Cebu City boys abused by a Filipino-American man sometime last year. But the award, to be released to an international foundation for the purpose of providing an educational, psychological and medical intervention program for the boys, is in danger of getting cancelled. This is because the parents want the money given directly to them and not to the World Vision Development Foundation, the US court-designated administrator. [full story]