Alleged cult’s suspended protected accord with DENR is a challenge for govt

The decision of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to suspend the protected area accord with the Socorro Bayanihan Service Incorporated would result in "huge implications" to organization members, Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa said Monday.

Following the first Senate hearing on the alleged human rights violations and supposed cult practices by the SBSI on 28 September, Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga yesterday ordered the suspension of the Protected Area Community-Based Resource Management Agreement in Sitio Kapihan in Socorro town, Surigao del Norte.

The DENR chief's decision stemmed from various allegations against the SBSI, including child marriage with adult members and forced labor of minors in the hillside community.

In a radio interview, Dela Rosa said he is yet to examine whether the group had violated provisions in its agreement with the DENR that "would warrant cancellation of that accord."

"It has a huge impact on them because most of those people living in Kapihan now can no longer return to the mainstream," Dela Rosa said in Filipino.

The senator cited that most of the members had already sold out everything they had before joining the isolated community.

According to Dela Rosa, part of the proceeds, which may take around 40 to 60 percent of their sole ownership and properties, were given to the SBSI's association fund.

"So nothing, it would be really hard for the people there to go back in the mainstream. But then again, the government has to step in. Hindi pupwedeng pabaya ng gobyerno 'yan [The government cannot let that go]," he said, noting that some members were former teachers, policemen, firefighters, and other professionals.

Dela Rosa said some members who already walked out of the group, especially policemen and firemen, wanted to go back into the service. However, he acknowledged that it would "really take time" to reinstate them in the service.

"So we see such implications there, there are economic and social implications. We need to look into it further and the government should plan for it because we also need to protect the welfare of the people there," he added.

The DENR  said it will work with the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, the provincial government of Surigao del Norte, and other authorities "to ensure the smooth and peaceful enforcement of the suspension notice and the possible resettlement of the occupants."

The DENR said the PACBRMA is a legal instrument between the DENR and tenured migrant groups to develop and conserve a portion of a protected area for 25 years.

In 2019, DENR said it started its investigation into the alleged violations of SBSI including restriction of entry in the area, the establishment of checkpoints and military-like training; the resignation of teachers, uniformed personnel, and barangay officials, and the establishment of structures within the area.

The DENR said it has repeatedly flagged the SBSI on the recurring violation both in 2021 and 2022, but noted that the group did not respond at all.

Dela Rosa previously said the joint Senate committees, involved in the investigations of the group's alleged cult activities and violations of human rights, will bring the next hearing in Socorro town, where the SBSI is based.