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October 20, 2008

GRACE Mission Update
General Santos City
Mindanao, Philippines

The Hall of Justice in General Santos City, as if symbolically betraying the darkness found in the Philippine judicial system, is, for the second time in as many days, without electrical power.

Yesterday, neighborhood witnesses and four abused children came to tell a terrible story to the prosecutor. Because of the power outage their account of a father who mercilessly beats his children will not be heard.

“Tomorrow we will hear their statements”, we’re told.

Again, electrical power fails for the second day. This will not drive me away from getting that which we came here to accomplish. With me are the police, the city social worker, neighborhood witnesses and four children. We will bring criminal charges against the father of the children. This will happen today.

The prosecutor stands in an outside hall and listens to the testimony. A neighbor of the children, speaking for both her and her friend, unfolds a story of misery. “We can both say that Ramon Lumongsod is an irresponsible father and he was not a normal person for he treated his kids like an animal that somewhat he is happy mauling them until he can see that a blood flows on their body.”

Her friend continues, “We personally witnessed their father, who habitually abused his children physically by spanking them with the use of electric wire, a piece of wood or sometimes a PVC pipe or firewood until they will be almost dead.”

The interview with the witnesses continues; “He tied his children and burned their feet with the use of PVC pipe or firewood. When he arrived at about 11:00 – 12:00 midnight and was drunk we can hear that he will maul his children and even throw them outside of the house.”

On a previous trip to the Philippines, during the early months of 2007 and prior to having any knowledge of abuse being suffered by the Lumongsod children, Monic (9), Raymund (7), Rexel (6), Remuel (5) and Ramon Jr., (4), the children are introduced to me by a government social worker. We stand by their home, a bamboo shack that can hardly provide any protection against the elements. The place they call home is without food or water.

Today, after we buy the children some breakfast, we’ll take them to visit with their mother. She’s been detained in jail for almost a year on charges of cattle rustling. The father is working, leaving the work of taking care of her 4 brothers to 9-year old Monic.

Over the next few days I deliver to the children food and supplies. Hair is cut to the scalp. Monic is given shampoo to rid her of head lice. The children are, unfortunately, another case amongst thousands who suffer the ravages of poverty in this part of the world.

A Year and a Half Later

Call it divine intervention. Call it what you like. Soon before leaving the U.S. for this trip to the Philippines I awake one morning thinking about the Lumongsod children. I have a strong feeling I need to revisit them.

Within 4 days after arriving in General Santos City, on August 6th 2008, I’m back at the dilapidated shack of the children in the Barangay of Apopong. The shack is filthy. They have no food. The father is not present. Three of the 5 children have ear infections, demanding immediate attention. The hospital emergency room provides this service.

Later, interviews with the neighbors bear out the horrible abuse the children have been suffering at the hands of their alcoholic father. Maybe it was another hand that guaranteed my being here.

A meeting is arranged with two city social workers who are familiar with these children.  We talk in their office for about 30 minutes. From the government side I only hear that which they have done for the children over the past couple of years.   I hear about how 2 of the children had been in the city shelter because of abuse, one of which was returned to the father. I hear nothing about what they plan to do, and tell them so.

I ask, “Why did you not return the older step daughter to the father yet decide to return the younger child?” (The older stepdaughter no longer lives in the home.)

The social worker states, “Because the father is not safe.”

Waning patience unleashes the tongue. I tell her, “I rest my case. By your own admittance, you agree the man is not safe to be around, yet you send a small child, who you knew had been abused, back into that house. I have heard nothing for 30 minutes that indicates you have any plans to help these children. Therefore, this is what I am going to do. I am going to leave here and hire an attorney. He will be an attorney for these children. We will first file suit against the City of General Santos for not providing the safety the law guarantees for these children. We will then file suit against the father.”

This trip to the City Social Welfare office is quickly terminated and followed by a trip to the local police precinct to file criminal charges against the father. The police subsequently contact the social workers.

In a flurry of activity, yet to be seen on any of my previous trips, the government decides to do the right thing … their job. The plan of getting an attorney is now placed on the back burner.

The police, the social workers and myself descend on the Lumongsod shack. The children are removed. We learn the father has abandoned them two days earlier.

The police question Monic, 10 years of age. They ask, “Why is it that despite of your fathers abusive acts still you stayed with him.”

She replies, “ I wanted to run away every time my father physically abused me but I stayed because I am worried of my four other younger brothers who will be left behind for I am the one who has taken care of them after my mother was imprisoned for cattle rustling. I am the one washing their clothes and preparing their meals for my father is very irresponsible and he always got drunk.”

Raymund, 8 years of age, when asked, “What is the reason why you wanted to file a complaint against your father, he answered, “My father is treating me like an animal.”

“What else would you like to declare?”

Raymond answers, “ Never in my whole life that I feel he loves me for he used to hurt me physically. My father is not a normal person for he will not stop hurting/mauling me until he would see a blood coming from my nose, mouth and ears.”

After some indecision by the social workers as to where the children can be housed, St. Gemma’s Orphanage is suggested.
During two of my previous trips to Gensan, 2004 and 2005, I worked at the orphanage renovating it. Therefore, a bit of negotiating found the children enjoying their new home at St. Gemma’s Orphanage.

With the children now settled into St. Gemma’s I’m informed by the social worker it will not be possible to enroll the children into school due to it being the middle of the school year.

It’s nice to say, against her presented obstacle, they are now in school. The U.S. way of doing things, mainly saying, “It can be done,” trumped the, “It can’t be done,” way of doing things over here. Additionally, finding the school principal willing to help, cinched the deal.

The father, at the onset of this investigation, (though not aware of such), in a drunken rage abandoned 4 of the children, disappearing with the youngest child.

After filing 4 cases of child abuse with the City Prosecutors office, it appears by the end of this week there will be 4 warrants for the arrest of the father.

I’ll deliver, with the aid of a police officer, one copy of the arrest warrants to the city jail. If the father decides to show up to visit his wife the Deputy Warden has given his assurance he will detain the man until the police can execute an arrest.

Hopefully, the children’s father, a man unworthy of the title and one who appears to be the personification of evil, will soon be sharing jail time with his wife. Neighbors testified the mother was at times crueler to the children than the father. They deserve each other… through a fence in prison.

The children, … they deserve their childhood.

Your reply to this Mission Update, is always appreciated.

George Mertz
10/20/2008

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Update: November 20, 2008 – The father of the five children has been arrested. Read below the events leading up to his arrest in the Letter of Commendation from GRACE to the General Santos City, Philippine National Police.

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GENSAN RELIEF AND COMMUNITY EXCHANGE, Inc.
General Santos City, Philippines
C/O GSC Chamber of Commerce & Ind., Inc,
Yap Mabuhay Bldg., Cagampang St., GSC

November 28, 2008

PS Supt. Robert G. Po
City Director
Philippine National Police
Camp Fermin Lira
General Santos City

Dear Sir,

I find it my pleasure to submit this letter of commendation for the exemplary police work performed by your officers, SPO4 Elpidio Atiga, SPO4 Fred Gillesnia and PO2 Bennie Fuentes of the General Santos City Police Department.

As Executive Director of Gensan Relief And Community Exchange, Inc., (GRACE), on or about October 21, 2008, I first contacted Officer Atiga, regarding 4 warrants for arrest, soon to be issued out of Trial Court 22, for a Mr. Ramon Lumongsod Sr.  The warrants for arrest arose from the complaints of child abuse from 4 of 5 of Mr. Lumongsod’s minor children.  The warrants were inititated through the combined efforts of Gensan Relief and Community Exchange, Inc. and the GSC, CSWD.

It was my belief our best chance for apprehending Mr. Lumongsod was to deliver a copy of the arrest warrants to the GSC Jail. The common-law wife of Mr. Lumongsod is currently incarcerated there on charges of cattle rustling.  If Mr. Lumongsod, who had fled with the youngest of his sons, and whose whereabouts was not then know, was to visit his wife in jail the Deputy Warden would then have cause to hold him until the police arrived for the arrest. I had previously arranged for this possibility through Deputy Warden Pelaez, of the GSC Jail.

Your officer, SPO4 Atiga, upon receipt of the arrest warrants, expeditiously carried out our request to deliver the warrants to the GSC Jail.  Furthermore, he was more than accommodating with regard to staying in touch with us with regard to all that pertained to this matter..

On or about November 13, 2008, we received information as to the possible location of Mr. Lumongsod and conveyed this information to officer Atiga.  Officer Atiga then contacted the Toril police department and coordinated efforts to apprehend the suspect.

On November 20, 2008, while using his own vehicle, Officer Atiga, along with SPO4 Fred Gillesnia and PO2 Bennie Fuentes drove 3 hours north to Toril to carry out their duties; namely, the arrest of Mr. Lumongsod.

Upon reaching Toril and joining up with the Toril police department the officers set out on, that which turned out to be, a day long hunt for the suspect.  After questioning numerous people the officers succeeded in apprehending this brutal man and returning him to General Santos City, where he now resides in the GSC Jail, while awaiting trial.

Our thanks for some fine police work by these officers of the General Santos City Police Department.

As I am currently out of the country please direct any response to:

Ms. Movinia Ulang, Vice-President, GRACE
C/O Commission on Audit
City Hall
General Santos City 9500

Respectfully,

George D. Mertz
Executive Director

Cc: SPO4 Elpidio Atiga, PNP, General Santos City
SPO4 Fred Gillesnia, PNP, General Santos City
PO2   Bennie Fuentes, PNP, General Santos City