UPDATED::Filipino 'appointed son of God' detained in Hawaii - ucanews.com

UPDATE:  Megachurch Pastor Apollo Quiboloy allegedly smuggled over $100K out of the US

Controversial Filipino megachurch Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, who was arrested by federal agents in Honolulu, Hawaii, last year after weapons and $350,000 were found on his private jet, has been accused of previously smuggling hundreds of thousands of dollars out of the country.

Quiboloy, who founded the Kingdom of Jesus Christ Church, which he claims has 4 million tithing followers in the Philippines and 2 million more in other countries including the United States, allegedly smuggled money out of the country on two separate occasions in 2013 and 2014, Hawaii News Now reported.

UPDATE:: FBI investigates Waipahu church for alleged human trafficking

The FBI is investigating a controversial church that’s been accused of aggressive fundraising in Hawaii, Hawaii News Now has learned.

The investigation is taking a close look at the church’s business manager, Felina Salinas, who was arrested by federal authorities last month on allegations of trying to smuggle $350,000 in cash out of the U.S.

She was arrested on a plane leased by the head of the church Apollo Quiboloy, a Filipino televangelist and friend of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte.

A Filipino pastor dubbed by his followers as the "appointed son of God" was temporarily detained in Hawaii this week after authorities found US$350,000 in cash and rifle parts in his private plane.

Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, founder and leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, was later released after U.S. citizen Felina Salinas, a follower of the pastor, claimed ownership of the cash.

He arrived back in the Philippines on Feb. 15 on board a commercial flight, leaving his private plane in, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Filipino 'appointed son of God' detained in Hawaii - ucanews.com

ADDENDUM::  Quiboloy follower tried to smuggle more than $300,000 cash in socks - US agent

A female follower of Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder Apollo Quiboloy tried to smuggle to the Philippines more than $300,000 in cash hidden in socks, United States court documents showed. 

Felina Salinas, a US citizen, failed to declare that she was carrying thousands of dollars "neatly bundled" in $100 bills in black socks during a flight en route to the Philippines, said a complaint filed by Ann Mylene Haney, a special agent of the US Department of Homeland Security.

Salinas was on board Quiboloy's private plane that was supposed to return to Manila on Feb. 13 before federal agents seized the cash.

She is said to be the business manager at the Waipahu church location and a loyal Quiboloy supporter.

US priest in Philippines arrested on charges of sexually assaulting altar boys - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Reverend Kenneth Bernard Hendricks, who has been indicted in Ohio for alleged illicit sexual conduct in the Philippines, was arrested in a church in Naval town on the island province of Biliran on Wednesday, Bureau of Immigration spokeswoman Dana Sandoval said.

Each of the 50 counts is punishable with up to 30 years in prison, US attorney Benjamin Glassman said at a news conference in Cincinnati.

Federal court records do not show an attorney for Mr Hendricks who could comment on the charges.
An Ohio court had issued a warrant for the arrest of 77-year-old Mr Hendricks, who has been living in the Philippines for 37 years, Ms Sandoval said, adding the US criminal case stemmed from complaints from Filipino minors who were allegedly victimised in the Philippines.

There was no immediate reaction from the US embassy, Philippine Catholic Church officials or Mr Hendricks, who was flown to Manila and detained in an immigration cell.

US priest in Philippines arrested on charges of sexually assaulting altar boys - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

UPDATED::Filipino ex-priest faces US extradition on sex charges | South China Morning Post

UPDATE::  Former priest sentenced for sexually abusing children in Fargo area 

A former Catholic priest was sentenced Monday, Oct. 1, in Cass County District Court on charges that he sexually abused two boys in the 1990s while assigned to churches in Fargo and West Fargo.

Fernando Sayasaya will serve 20 years in prison for his conviction on two charges of gross sexual imposition. He pleaded guilty in May to those charges, after originally entering not guilty pleas in February.

Sayasaya will be required to register as a sex offender. He was given credit for 360 days spent in jail.

UPDATE::  Priest extradited from Philippines pleads guilty to 2 counts

A Roman Catholic priest accused of molesting two boys in North Dakota in the 1990s has pleaded guilty to two counts of felony gross sexual imposition.
Court documents show that Fernando Sayasaya entered the pleas Thursday during a scheduling conference. He's accused of abusing two underage siblings from 1995 to 1998, while he was assigned to the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church and St. Mary's Cathedral in the Fargo area.

UPDATE:: Ex-priest who fled to Philippines pleads not guilty to sexually abusing kids in Fargo area

A former Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing children while he worked at churches in Fargo and West Fargo has pleaded not guilty to two Class B felony counts of gross sexual imposition.

Fernando Laude Sayasaya, 53, appearing in orange Cass County Jail garb, said little during the hearing Wednesday, Feb. 14, in Cass County District Court before Judge Steven McCullough.

Each count against Sayasaya has a maximum prison sentence of 10 years, prosecutor Ryan Younggren said after the hearing. Younggren said he could not comment on whether there have been any negotiations for a plea agreement in the case.

A Filipino ex-priest is facing extradition to the US for allegedly sexually abusing minors there in the 1990s, authorities said on Wednesday.

Fernando Sayasaya, 53, was tracked down by police in a province outside Manila on Sunday nearly two decades after he fled the US and went into hiding in the Philippines.

He was accused of molesting two boys in the state of North Dakota where he worked for the Catholic Church, police said.

Filipino ex-priest faces US extradition on sex charges | South China Morning Post

UPDATED::U.S. Marine Claims 'Trans Panic' in Murder of Trans Filipina Jennifer Laude | Advocate.com

UPDATE::  U.S. Marine convicted of killing transgender Filipino files appeal

A U.S. Marine has asked a Philippine court to reverse his conviction in the killing of a transgender Filipino and sought a bail and a reduction of his six to 12-year jail term.

Attorney Rowena Garcia-Flores said she would insist that her client, Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton, did not kill Jennifer Laude in a motel room after they met in a disco bar in October 2014 and that his sentence should be eased because he surrendered to authorities.

In December a judge convicted Pemberton of homicide, not the more serious charge of murder as prosecutors sought — and sentenced him to a lighter jail term than what the victim’s family sought.

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U.S. Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton admitted in a Philippine court Monday that he strangled transgender woman Jennifer Laude to death inside a motel room near Manila last October, Al Jazeera reports.

Reports from inside the courtroom indicate that Pemberton is advancing a "trans panic" defense, claiming that upon discovering the 26-year-old Laude to be a transgender woman, the 19-year-old Marine "feared he would be raped," according to Al Jazeera. That fear prompted Pemberton to fly into a violent rage, manually strangling Laude before dragging her lifeless body into the bathroom, according to tweets from Harry Roque, the attorney representing Laude's family.

U.S. Marine Claims 'Trans Panic' in Murder of Trans Filipina Jennifer Laude | Advocate.com

The Dangers Of Being LGBT In ‘Tolerant’ Philippines

The Philippines has one of worst records of violence against the trans community. The murders of 29 transgender people have been documented in the Philippines since 2008, according to the TvT project, which monitors and analyzes cases of transphobia worldwide. This is the highest number in the Southeast Asian region, and the second highest in Asia -- though activists say that many murders of trans people go unreported in the country, so the number is likely much higher.

The trans community is not the only LGBT group that has experienced violence in the Philippines. There were at least “28 LGBT-related killings” in the country in the first half of 2011 alone, according to a 2014 UNDP/USAID report. These troubling statistics offer a glimpse into the marginalization and abuse that the LGBT community faces in the predominantly-Catholic archipelago.

On the surface, the Philippines may appear to be one of the more “liberal” ASEAN countries when it comes to the LGBT community.
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However, although “there is high tolerance here, there’s not real acceptance,” Ging Cristobal, a Manila-based activist with the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission, tells The Huffington Post.

Legal recognition and protection of LGBT people at the national level largely remains absent.

The Dangers Of Being LGBT In ‘Tolerant’ Philippines

UPDATE::Ysrael Bien: Search Intensifies For Priest Accused Of Putting Hidden Camera In Men’s Bathroom

When originally reported, there wasn't a whole lot to go on.  Just that a hidden camera was found, then said camera disappeared.  Now its seems they have a suspect but as usual the Catholic Church works in such mysterious ways to protect such cretins.

Ysrael Bien, an Oregon priest on the run, has been accused of installing a hidden camera within the wall socket of a men’s restroom at the St. Francis Catholic Church in Sherwood, Oregon, where he worked.

The Philippine native has reportedly gone back to his home country, with a spokesman for the church stating that there was no way they could have prevented him from traveling.

“The church has no ability to confiscate a priest’s passport,” said spokesman David Renshaw in comments reported by Opposing Views. “We are not a law enforcement agency and do not have the authority to take such a document.”

The church had suspended Ysrael Bien from leadership duties in June, and police believe he left the country shortly thereafter on June 30.

The hidden camera he allegedly hid in the men’s restroom was discovered by a 15-year-old boy. Police speculate that if they are able to extradite Bien from the Philippines, he will face misdemeanor charges of invasion of privacy, tampering with evidence, and initiating a false police report, the Oregonian notes.

Ysrael Bien: Search Intensifies For Priest Accused Of Putting Hidden Camera In Men’s Bathroom

Help Wanted: The Philippines Needs More Exorcists : Goats and Soda : NPR

Alvin Bailon and his wife were at their wits' end last September. Their 12-year-old son, an honors student, had begun having anxiety attacks, mostly about school. "And then all of a sudden he would slowly lose consciousness," Bailon recalls. "We term it as doze off. He would doze off and he would fall down slowly."

They brought him to three doctors, had his brain scanned (no irregularities were found), tried all sorts of anxiety pills prescribed by doctors. They even went to healers who use crystals for therapy.

Then they tried a beach retreat that the healers had recommended. Their son did well, but Bailon says on the car ride home the child "dozed off" and whispered in a totally unfamiliar voice, "Shhh, you might wake him up."

That's when the Bailons did what many in the overwhelmingly Catholic country do when facing a family crisis: They turned to the church — and its Office of Exorcism, opened in 2006 to address a growing number of cases and run by Father Jose Francisco Syquia.

Dressed in a short-sleeve button-down shirt, the Rome-trained exorcist says he has been driving demonic spirits out of people and houses for more than a dozen years. He has seen a steady increase in cases in the past decade, with 200 so far this year.

"At any given time we have at the minimum 30 cases," says the 48-year-old. "And we're only five exorcists."

Help Wanted: The Philippines Needs More Exorcists : Goats and Soda : NPR

Philippines Investigates Alleged Abductions Within Religious Sect

An interesting story coming out of the Philippines and reported on by Atheist Republic.  Waiting to see if more information becomes available but as some fear, "Philippines' coerced culture; manipulated by corrupt politicians and religious pillars. Philippines' sabotaged economy, staged by giant corporations,"  and noted with the article, it appears to be a game of politics.  "According to sources, political candidates in the country seek help from the powerful sect, since its members happen to cast their votes in a bloc."

Allegations of abductions and gross misuse of funds within a politically powerful but secretive religious sect in the Philippines has caused the Department of Justice to launch an investigation that would help expose the church’s control of its members. Leila de Lima, secretary of the justice department, said even though the government cannot directly interfere in the squabble taking place within Iglesia ni Cristo, also known as Church of Christ, the National Bureau of Investigation would look into the alleged abductions, as those happen to violate the country’s laws.

The ongoing feud inside the closely-knit religious sect surfaced last month after the mother and brother of Eduardo Manalo, who heads the church, were expelled for seeking help from other church members via a YouTube message that also claimed that the duo’s life had been put in danger ever since a number of ministers went missing. 

Isaias Samson, former editor in chief of Iglesia ni Cristo’s newspaper, told the media that his wife and son too had been held under house arrest for a week by armed guardsmen who received orders from the church. He also clarified that the two eventually managed to escape unharmed.

From the description presented by Chatterjee, this group has all the markings a cult:

While Roman Catholicism happens to be the predominant religion across Southeast Asia, Felix Manalo, founder of Iglesia ni Cristo, broke away from the root religion to form his own church. He is also considered a prophet by those that follow him. After Felix Manalo’s death in 1963, his son Erano Manalo took over the post until his demise in 2009, when yet another Manalo son, Eduardo, assumed office as ‘executive minister’. Even though the church believes that Christ was the Son of God, it does not believe in the Holy Trinity like Roman Catholics do.

Philippines Investigates Alleged Abductions Within Religious Sect

Hidden camera disguised as power outlet discovered in church bathroom, police say | OregonLive.com

A parishioner discovered a hidden camera in the men's bathroom of St. Francis Catholic Church in Sherwood, police said Friday.

The camera was disguised as a power outlet and positioned on the wall next to the toilet. It was found April 26 in a bathroom near the chapel, according to police.

The parishioner then handed the camera over to the church's priest, said Sherwood Police Capt. Ty Hanlon.

Officers began investigating when the priest reported the camera stolen on May 20, Hanlon said. The device turned up missing before the priest could turn it over to authorities, he said.

Officers have done several interviews and searches during their investigation into the disappearance of the device. They have not identified a suspect.

Hidden camera disguised as power outlet discovered in church bathroom, police say | OregonLive.com

UPDATE::Philippine Government Charges U.S. Marine With Murder of Trans Woman | Advocate.com

U.S. Marine Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton was formally charged with murder by the Phillipine government today for the death of 26-year-old trans Filipina woman Jennifer Laude, reports the Associated Press.

Earlier this week, the Philippine government completed its investigation into Laude's murder, partly relying on closed-circuit television footage, according to the New York Times. Pemberton's charges were successfully argued as "murder" by chief prosecutor Emiline de los Santos due to their aggravated violence, rather than the lesser charge of "homicide."

"There was aggravated treachery, abuse of superior strength, and cruelty," de los Santos explained to the Times. "You can see the cruelty she endured, the injries she sustained. We believe we have a strong case."

Pemberton, 19, now faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted. He will face the decision of a Phillipine judge, as there is no jury system in the Phillipines. He is currently being held in a modfied shipping container on a military base in Manila, guarded by both Phillipine and U.S. sentries.

Philippine Government Charges U.S. Marine With Murder of Trans Woman | Advocate.com

Mentally ill people found chained by families and left to die after typhoon Haiyan – video | World news | The Guardian

I will be interested to see if they do any type of follow-up reporting on this story in the future.

"[F]ilmed and directed by Simon Rawles and produced by Vishva Samani, shows mentally ill people shackled in cages by their families in the Philippines. Their situation was revealed by local organisations searching for vulnerable survivors in the aftermath of typhoon Haiyan. They were shocked to find one man who had been trapped by his family for 16 years; he had been left to die. Another six people were found in the town of San Remigio, northern Cebu, where this film is shot "

Mentally ill people found chained by families and left to die after typhoon Haiyan – video | World news | The Guardian

UPDATE::Custody Of U.S. Marine Suspected Of Killing Transgender Filipino Woman Transferred To Philippine Military - The New Civil Rights Movement

Nineteen-year-old Private Joseph Pemberton (left) has been identified as the chief suspect in the murder of a 26-year-old transgender Filipino woman, Jennifer Laude Sueselbeck. (below right) Time Magazine is reporting that Private Pemberton has been taken by helicopter from the USS Peleliu where he was being detained, to Camp Aguinaldo, military headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, in Manila.
,,,
The Marines quickly detained a suspect, Private Joseph Pemberton of the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Private Pemberton was held aboard the USS Peleliu, which was in the Philippines for joint war exercises with the Philippine military. They also detained three Marine who were witnesses.
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Sensitive to the mood of the country, the Marines have now worked out a compromise, transferring Private Pemberton to an air-conditioned van inside Camp Aguinaldo. The vehicle will still be guarded by U.S. forces, but the perimeter will be will be located inside a fenced-off portion of the camp guarded by Philippine personnel.

Custody Of U.S. Marine Suspected Of Killing Transgender Filipino Woman Transferred To Philippine Military - The New Civil Rights Movement

U.S. Marine Charged with Murder of Trans Filipina Woman | Advocate.com

Joseph Scott Pemberton, a U.S. Marine, was formally charged with murder today for the fatal strangulation of 26-year-old Jennifer Laude Sueselbeck, a transgender Filipina woman.

The crime was allegedly committed while Pemberton was stationed in the Philippines for Marine training exercises. Military sources had concealed Pemberton's name until he was formally charged today.

Earlier this week, Filipino human rights advocates and elected officials demanded Pemberton be turned over to local Philippine authorities, but Reuters reported yesterday that he would remain in U.S. custody. The decision was disparaged by Filipino human rights activists.

"Under the Visiting Forces Agreement, the custody of the erring soldiers stays with Americans," Philippine General Gregorio Catapang said in a statement yesterday after meeting with U.S. Pacific Command officials. However, the Philippines still have criminal jurisdiction and could try the suspect in local courts, Catapang noted.

U.S. Marine Charged with Murder of Trans Filipina Woman | Advocate.com

Raps filed vs. siblings who killed, ate own mother | Nation, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com

Local officials said superstitious elders in the municipality believed the suspects were possessed by evil spirits. They had been subjected to rituals by a local shaman, investigators said.

Superstitions are strictly forbidden in Islam.

[,,,]
Anwar Emblawa, an incumbent municipal councilor from the nearby Datu Abdullah Sangki town, which is adjacent to Ampatuan, said the suspects are identified with a clan in Barangay Dasikil, also in Ampatuan, which is known in an old folklore for its being a 'haven' of ghouls.

“There is an old story about a curse and these three men, according to local folks, belong to a family from a cursed ancestry, from where came these ghouls. For me, being a Muslim that is superstition and I don’t believe in that,” said Emblawa, who is related to most datus and traditional community leaders in Ampatuan.


Raps filed vs. siblings who killed, ate own mother | Nation, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com

Cindy Jacobs, Prophecy for the Philippines

This video has come across my feed a few times since the typhoon, it is from 2009. Let's do some math add 2 years, that's 2011 not 2013. Notice she said "next" nothing about 2012 or 2103. As is standard with "prophecy" the language is very vague

"The next two years, the Lord is showing me, are going to be extremely significant for the Philippines. Either you’re gonna go on to greatness, it’s going to be that transformed nation, or I see that there’s going to be some troubled some times. So pray, pray, pray.”

So which is it it, greatness or trouble?? Playing both sides of the coin, a win-win for her!! And what exactly are people praying for if this is God's judgement?

“This is a time God is going to pull down the spirit of corruption, and God is going to release the spirit of truth and righteousness into this nation, because righteousness exalts a nation. The Lord has given many promises for the Philippines. I mean, the Philippines is going to be one of the wealthiest nations on the earth. The spirit of poverty will be broken.”

So killing 2200+ people is justifiable how?? But yet great wealth? OK, right destroying an already impoverished nation with a horrific natural disaster brings wealth how exactly? Their infrastructure is destroyed.

This is the Philippines people, typhoons are not rare as they average 19/yr with 6-9 making landfall,,,sigh!!