|
Friday, October 19, 2007
Orphans admit 'clown' fondled them
By Ben O. Tesiorna and Ferdinand Zuasola
SAN ISIDRO, Davao Oriental -- Three kids in the House of Joy orphanage here confirmed that American Paul Carlock fondled them and took nude photos of them when the foreigner was still working at the orphanage.
The House of Joy orphanage houses at least 40 orphaned and abused kids.
Join forum on Sandiganbayan's guilty verdict on Estrada plunder case. Post comments here.
Aida Karasuyama, executive director of the House of Joy orphanage, said right after the news on Carlock's arrest in the US last week, they immediately talked to the kids to find out if any of them were molested in any way by the man they fondly called "Kuya Paul, the clown."
"At least three kids confessed to me that their sex organs were fondled regularly by Paul Carlock. We were so shocked because we have known him to be a very good man. He always led the prayer for the kids. Every Sunday, he brought with him the Bible as he led the kids to Church," Karasuyama said.
Carlock was arrested in the US by authorities for child pornography. Authorities confiscated his digital camera and computer for containing nude photos of kids from the orphanage.
Carlock first arrived in the orphanage in 2004 and stayed for two weeks that same year.
This year, he (Carlock) arrived in the orphanage in June and stayed for two months, according to Provincial Board Member Tina Yu.
"We told all the kids not to tell a lie, that they should tell only the truth. Eventually, upon my persistence to seek the truth, the kids spoke up. Three kids were so ashamed to recount their stories," Karasuyama said.
She added: "I pressed them to tell some more and they said the man only fondled their sex organs."
The three kids are all boys aged 9 to 10. Two of the boys are in first grade and the other one is in third grade.
"I think these three boys are his favorite because we always saw him in the company of these three boys. These three kids are orphans. The farmer parents of the two kids are dead. The father of the other boy is in prison for illegal drugs trade," Karasuyama said.
She said her Japanese husband, Itsuo, was so mad at Carlock for "tainting" the good image of their orphanage.
"And I was so angry when he told the American press that that's how our children live, that our kids are nude. This man should really be punished," Karasuyama said.
It was learned that officials from the US Embassy in Manila already visited the orphanage to interview the kids.
"These people from the US embassy have interrogated all the kids in the orphanage to verify whether they were abused by Carlock. And they showed us photos confiscated by US authorities from Carlock, which shows the sex organs of young boys purportedly from an orphanage in the Philippines. Only three kids in our orphanage have confirmed the abuse. And they (US embassy officials) have vowed to extend legal assistance to the victims if they decide to file a case against Carlock in court," Karasuyama said.
Orphans plea
Surprisingly though, when asked by American embassy officials if they wanted their "Kuya Paul" charged in court for abusing them, all the three kids pleaded with the officials not to file a case against Carlock.
"Please don't file a case against Kuya Paul. He is a good man, he is a good man," the kids said.
"The kids told me that they loved the man so much because he was so good to them. They said they treated the man as their father. Paul gave them candies, lollipops," Karasuyama said.
Yu, however, criticized the way the American officials asked the young kids questions.
"They asked as if they are questioning people of legal age who know their basic rights. They should not have asked the kids whether they want Paul Carlock to be charged in court because these are minors, they don't understand the whole thing. They don't really know what this man did to them. For them it's just okay for this man to take photos of their genitals because they treated him as their father. For them, this man is good because they were regularly gifted with candies. In fact, they saw nothing wrong when this man fondled their sex organs and took photos because they considered him as their father," Yu said.
Cleared
Karasuyama said the US embassy has cleared them of involvement in Carlock's crime. She said the US embassy has determined they are not in cahoots with pedophiles and that their orphanage is not a haven of pedophiles.
Yu advised Karasuyama to be very strict in picking out visitors to the orphanage.
"I observed that you have not been strict in accepting visitors to the orphanage especially foreigners. That's the reason why this sick-minded people were able to come in and prey on the young innocent kids of the orphanage," Yu told Karasuyama.
Karasuyama said the last time she was in contact with Carlock was on the day the suspected pedophile was arrested in the US.
She said Carlock sent her an e-mail informing her about the confiscation of his camera by US authorities.
Karasuyama said she was surprised why since Carlock had told her that his camera was damaged way back when he was still visiting the orphanage.
"He told me that his digital camera has conked out. But I wondered why he kept on bringing with him his digital camera if indeed it has conked out. He always brought the camera with him every time he visited the public schools in the town. Even inside the orphanage, he always brought with him his digital camera, which he claimed to have conked out," Karasuyama recalled.
Carlock volunteered to work as a clown and magician to the kids in the orphanage.
"As far as I know, Carlock has donated only $200 to the orphanage since he started to visit here in 2004. And that money was used buy medicines, food, and vitamins for the kids in the orphanage," Karasuyama said. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Davao. (October 19, 2007 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
Military backs Arroyo: defense chief