Criminal cases will be filed against the director of the New Life Baptist Church of Mexico, Pampanga Inc. (NLBCMPI) located in Barangay Pandacaqui for alleged abuse of children and other violations.
Pastor Jeremy Ferguson, an American national, was earlier arrested for numerous complaints from children who allegedly experienced physical, verbal and psychological abuse while under the care of the suspect’s social welfare and development agency (SWADA) in Mexico.
The suspect was arrested on August 13 by the DSWD’s Field Office (FO)-3 and the Pampanga Police Provincial Office’s Women and Children’s Protection Desk based on the provisions of Republic Act 7610.
Ferguson’s arrest came around 8 hours after the rescue of 156 children from his custody based on the complaints against NLBCMPI which include: (1) physical abuse; (2) verbal abuse; (3) psychological abuse; (4) presence of fire hazards; (5) mismanagement of funds; (6) improper case management; and (7) non-compliance with the DSWD Registration, License to Operate and Accreditation standards.
R.A. 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act imposes penalties ranging from prision mayor (6 years and 1 day to 12 years) up to reclusion temporal (12 years and 1 day to 20 years).
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Wednesday morning issued a Cease and Desist Order (CDO) against the NLBCMPI which was served on the same day by personnel of the Field Office 3 headed by Regional Director Venus Rebuldela.
“We will be filing criminal cases against Pastor Ferguson based on the complaints of children who have experienced physical, verbal and psychological abuse while under his custody. We will also be requesting the Bureau of Immigration to issue a Hold Departure Order (HDO) on Mr. Ferguson to make sure that he will face his criminal cases in court,” Secretary Gatchalian said.
Secretary Gatchalian noted the gravity of the infractions and issued the CDO against Ferguson’s SWADA “pursuant to the authority, regulatory powers, and responsibility for the exercise of the mandate of the DSWD to assist in the protection of the rights of children from all forms of danger, neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation, and other conditions prejudicial to their development.”
The CDO is part of DSWD’s authority, regulatory powers and responsibility to assist in the protection of the rights of children from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation and other conditions prejudicial to their development.
All the 156 residents of the NLBCMPI have been accounted for by the DSWD’s Field Office (FO) 3-Central Luzon. The children composed of 78 boys and 78 girls have been temporarily placed under the protective custody of the FO-3’s Reception and Study Center for Children (RSCC) in Lubao, Pampanga.
