Senators on Tuesday lauded the decision of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to terminate its land use agreement with the Socorro Bayanihan Services Incorporated (SBSI).

Senator Risa Hontiveros, who called for a Senate inquiry into the alleged abuses within the organization led by Jey Rence Quilario, also known as Señor Agila, welcomed the development.

“One of my recommendations during the hearing on SBSI was the cancellation of their agreement with the DENR. Alongside this, there should be a proper reintegration and rehabilitation plan for the community,” Hontiveros said.

“Our agencies, together with the local government of Socorro and Surigao del Norte, should collaborate to safeguard the welfare of the residents of Kapihan. They are also victims of poverty, forced to cling to the promises and deceit of Señor Agila,” she added.

Earlier this week, the DENR announced the revocation of its agreement with the SBSI for violating the provisions of the tenurial instrument, which allowed the alleged cult group to use 353 hectares in the Siargao Island Protected Landscape and Seascape (SIPLAS) in Surigao del Norte.

According to the DENR, the violations include the establishment of settlements/residences within the Protected Area Community-Based Resource Management Agreement (PACBRMA) area, the implementation of strict checkpoints to regulate the entry of non-members, failure to submit required reports on the implementation of the Community-based Resource Management Plan and the construction of infrastructure.

For Hontiveros, the government should exhaust all efforts to ensure that every member of the SBSI would be able to live normally with dignity and honor.

Likewise, the chair of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality called on the members of the SBSI to “cooperate with the authorities in this process.”

“We only want them to live in safety, freedom, and genuine peace,” she stressed.

Good move

Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa also welcomed the decision of the DENR, stressing that it was a “good move” as he expressed hope that it would eventually lead to the disbandment of the cult.

“It is a good move by the DENR so that cult members can be relocated which will eventually lead to the disbandment of the cult and save the minors from abuse,” Dela Rosa told reporters in a text message.

Dela Rosa’s panel on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs led the Senate inquiry into the reported abuses within the SBSI last year, which included instances of sexual abuse and coerced marriages, especially among minors.

Long overdue

Meanwhile, Senator Cynthia Villar said the DENR’s cancellation of the PACBRMA with the SBSI was a “long-overdue action, given the flagrant violations of the said agreement.”

“If DENR had maintained a closer watch and had an efficient system in place for monitoring our protected areas and the agreements with tenured migrants, the problem with the cult growing out of control might not have even begun,” said Villar, who chairs the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.