By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
On the heels of complaints by children who experienced various forms of abuse in a social welfare and development agency in Mexico, Pampanga, authorities and officials from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office 3 – Central Luzon arrested an American national on Wednesday night.
The collared foreign national, identified as Pastor Jeremy Ferguson, is the director of the New Life Baptist Church of Mexico Pampanga Inc. (NLBCMPI).
His arrest came shortly after the rescue of 160 children from his custody, with violations including physical abuse, verbal abuse, psychological abuse, presence of fire hazards, mismanagement of funds, improper case management, and non-compliance with the DSWD’s registration, license to operate, and accreditation standards.
“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,” Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian said.
Ferguson will be facing charges based on the provisions stipulated under Republic Act No. 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act, which imposes penalties ranging from prison mayor (6 years and 1 day to 12 years) up to reclusion temporal (12 years and 1 day to 20 years).
All of the residents in the care facility are now under the custody of DSWD’s Reception and Study Center for Children (RSCC), where social workers provided psychosocial support and assessed their physical, emotional, and mental needs to aid in their recovery.
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