More than 200 infants, children up to 4 years died at Sitio Kapihan—Sen. Hontiveros

The Socorro local government confirmed that newly born infants at Sitio Kapihan, Socorro, Surigao del Sur do not have their birth certificates and legal death records.

During the second hearing of public order and dangerous drugs on alleged cult practices and other human rights violations of SBSI, Senator Risa Hontiveros bared that more than 200 infants, including children up to 4 years old, have died in the village.

Hontiveros was irked about the information that babies needing medical treatment allegedly died after being prohibited by SBSI leaders from being brought to hospitals.

The senator said she did research on the matter and even asked members whose children died while residing in the village.

"I was shown this sheet of paper. Mr. Chair, there are plenty. In fact, if our informants are to be believed, more than 200 children died from the ages of newborn to 4 years old," Hontiveros said in mixed Filipino.

The lady senator questioned why there are high infant mortality cases in the area as she slammed SBSI leaders for allowing kids to die without being given proper medical attention.

"Don't you take care of the babies in Kapihan? Isn't Santo Niño your patron? Why are the Niños and Niñas dying there?" Hontiveros asked SBSI leaders present in the hearing.

The National Bureau of Investigation shared the result of its recent ocular inspection and investigation of an exhumed infant cadaver found in the village's cemetery.

"Considering that perspective mothers were restricted from consulting medical interventions, most likely mothers don't have enough nutrients during pregnancy so naturally the development of the fetus inside the womb will also be affected," the NBI official told senators at the hearing.

He noted that the high mortality of infants was due to a lack of vitamins needed by both mothers and the babies.

Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa recently led the ocular inspection in the area where several tombs of infants were recovered.

The team of inspectors revealed that one of those buried in the cemetery was a child born on 14 December 2021, who died three days later without being brought to a hospital.

According to NBI, the infant was buried near a basketball court but was transferred to the cemetery only this year.

Randolf Balbarino, father of one of the dead infants, said his baby died two days after his wife gave birth in December 2020 allegedly due to the prohibition of SBSI leader Jey Rence Quilario or "Senior Agila" to bringing the baby to a hospital outside the village.

However, Quilario denied the allegation and insisted that the president of SBSI in 2020.

Hontiveros said it was shocking to know that mothers in the area who are also beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps, implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, are required to undergo prenatal checkups as part of the conditional cash transfer policy.

Socorro Mayor Riza Taruc Timcang confirmed that while prenatal is a prerequisite to the program, she narrated that the SBSI leaders do not allow mothers to get health benefits outside their village.

She added that even DSWD personnel who are conducting consensus cannot go inside the village and they were just held outside the Kapihan's gate.

"I was a former public health nurse of Socorro municipality before I became a mayor. Based on the report of rural health centers, we do not have any record that pregnant women from Kapihan had their prenatal check-ups, even if it is our advocacy, we always promote that pregnant women should give birth in the hospital and children must be immunized—we really don't have any record from RHU," Timcang said.

Timcang said the high infant mortality rate in Sitio Kapihan was due to cases of eclampsia being experienced by mothers.

Senator Francis Tolentino clarified to Timcang what is the status of legal documents by the SBSI members and their newborn children.

The mayor responded: "No birth certificates. No death certificates. Only those Kapihan members get the government benefits."

"Iyon pong mga bata na hindi na issue-han ng birth certificate sabi niyo hindi na record kapag namatay yung bata kagaya nugn na experience wala rin death certificate iyon?," Tolentino asked.

Timcang said they don't have any records. "Even the local civil registry has no record," she added.