An official of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) affirmed on Thursday (September 20) that the agency has existing protocols in assisting victim-survivors of abuse and qualified human trafficking, including those who were allegedly abused and exploited by Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) leader Apollo Quiboloy.
DSWD Asst. Secretary for Statutory Programs Ada Colico told reporters during the Thursday Media Forum that part of the protocol is the referral of the Philippine National Police’s Women’s and Children’s Desk to be followed by the agency’s profiling and immediate provision of support services.
“Actually po ang protocol kasi po natin dyan ay ito po ay nire-refer sa atin ng sinasabi nga natin, women and children’s desk ng PNP,” Asst. Secretary Colico said in answer to the query of the press on the interventions provided by the agency to the children and women allegedly abused by the KOJC leader.
As for the complainants and witnesses who testified in the Senate hearing on the Quiboloy case, they have already received financial assistance and psychosocial intervention from agency social workers, according to the DSWD official.
“Kung maalala niyo po mayron po tayong mga victims and witnesses na pinresent sa Senate hearing, yun po ay na-reach out na natin, na-interview na po natin at nabigyan na po natin sila nang unang una mga support services, particularly financial assistance. Pangalawa, nabigyan na din po natin ng psychosocial intervention kasi given the trauma na kanilang na-encounter,” Asst. Secretary Colico pointed out.
After they were assisted by the Department, Asst. Secretary Colico said the victims went back to the custody of the PNP with their whereabouts being kept confidential to ensure their safety and welfare amid the on-going investigation and the pending cases in the judiciary.
Asst. Secretary Colico emphasized that they are not staying in any residential facility or center that are owned and operated by the DSWD.
“Sa ngayon po ay confidential. Maski kami po ay hindi namin alam kung nasaan sila… wala po sa facilities natin,” Asst. Secretary Colico told reporters.
The DSWD official said the existing agency protocols are based on the guidelines in handling victim-survivors of abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking. The agency also helps with the case management of identified and rescued abused and exploited persons.
The DSWD issued an official statement in August stating that as the agency tasked with safeguarding the well-being of the nation’s most vulnerable, it cannot stay silent in the face of the serious charges against Mr. Apollo Quiboloy.
The allegations of human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and abuse of minors strike at the very core of what we stand for: protecting those who cannot protect themselves, the DSWD statement said.
The DSWD assured that it will exhaust all steps to protect the rights of every Filipino child and to support the judicial processes that are in place to bring perpetrators to justice.
