Tuesday, July 03, 2007 Margot says male attendant at Pari-an Drop Center was fired 5 or 6 months ago
AFTER a Sun.Star Cebu columnist wrote about the abuses experienced by five children under the care of the Cebu City Task Force on Street Children (CCTFSC), task force chairperson Margot Osmeña immediately checked on the report.
The children left the Parian Drop-in Center after they were reportedly abused months ago.
They were supposed to meet with radio dySS broadcaster and Sun.Star Cebu columnist Bobby Nalzaro yesterday morning to confirm the incident and to name the abuser. The children, however, didn’t show up.
Osmeña, after being informed about the incident, called up the Parian Drop-in Center.
She was told about an incident involving the sexual harassment of some of the boys in the center about five to six months ago.
“A male employee has been terminated five to six months ago... Although, it’s hard to say if we are referring to the same person because I don’t know who they are,” Osmeña told Sun.Star Cebu in a phone interview yesterday.
But the drop-in center has no record of five children leaving the center together five or six months ago.
“Maybe they left at different times,” said Osmeña.
“But I would like to assure the public that I will always take the side of the child but I will listen to everybody,” she said.
“If there are complaints and they are willing to talk to me, I am willing to listen, get legal advice and to help them. I have been in the (task force) for 19 years...that is such a long time just for me to defect to the other side,” she said.
Nalzaro told Sun.Star Cebu that he had a long conversation with an informant last Sunday.
It was then that he learned that four boys in the center were physically abused by a male member of the staff while a teenage girl was sexually harassed. The boys are under the informant’s custody in a northern town, while the girl is still in the city.
Nalzaro said the custodian was apprehensive about coming out in the open and even asked Nalzaro to take custody of the children when he dropped them at the radio station for an interview.
“I will turn them over to the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development),” Nalzaro said.
He is still trying to contact the custodian after the children didn’t show up yesterday.
Recorded
Nalzaro also said the molestation of the girl was recorded in the blotter of the Parian Police Station. But it didn’t come out in the media because the incident was settled out of court.
The children had repeatedly complained about the incident to the center in-charge. But apparently, the complaints were ignored.
But Osmeña said that as far as she is concerned, the children are always a priority and will always be heard.
“The reason for the task force are the children and not to give jobs,” she said. “If we hear of a physical or whatever abuse, it is a no-brainer for me...we fire the person or we file charges.”
To be fair to the person concerned, Osmeña said that sometimes the children exaggerate things, especially if these don’t go their way.
“But we always give the children the benefit of the doubt. If there are alleged abuses, inform me. Children may feel that they cannot approach me themselves, but I’m very easy to reach,” Osmeña said.
According to Nalzaro’s source, while the perpetrator is not influential, he has some connections in Cebu City Hall.
Osmeña said she was only told about the incident yesterday when Sun.Star Cebu called for her reaction.
She said that there have also been similar incidents in the past in other centers of the CCTFSC. But she said everything has been taken care off. The ones responsible have been dismissed, she said.
The five children were reportedly punched, kicked and slapped whenever they were caught committing mistakes. The girl was allegedly sexually molested. (JGA)
