Revelation 13

|| Wella Mae Tolento

The 1987 Philippine Constitution upholds freedom of religion, with over 80% Roman Catholics, while the rest are Protestants, Christians, Muslims, tribal religions, or nonbelievers. Religion is the belief or worship of a supreme being, and faith becomes its foundation. However, how can we be certain of what religion really is? Where does the autonomy of religious groups end?

Every religion is confronted with the danger of being a cult, which is the blind obedience and belief of a single personality in a group such as Senior Agila of Socorro Bayanihan Services Inc. (SBSI). This year, the country was dismayed when news broke out about the kidnapping, qualified trafficking, child marriages, and serious illegal detention at the Sitio Kapihan in Socorro, Surigao del Norte. The civic organization, which was then operating to provide families with a community that shapes a sense of communal unity, or Bayanihan, is now facing alleged cases of human rights violations against its members.

Religious freedom is mandated in the Philippines to prevent such violence from ensuing. However, the SBSI’s alleged cases have tarnished this privilege of religious groups promoting peace and order. More than anything, it is not the shame brought to this country’s religious freedom that demands condemnation, but the disbelief in how SBSI’s members suffered in deprivation of basic human rights. No child should be forced into marriage, coerced to have sex with a partner, or give up their property or life

for a certain place in heaven, fearing hell or eternal damnation. Senior Agila is neither god nor his actions are God’s will. The real God does not ask for material things forcefully or make it a measurement to reserve a place for his child in his kingdom. These are not the purposes of religious freedom. These are clear violations of every individual’s basic human rights. Freedom of religion does not warrant a culture of impunity.

Another thing to scrutinize in Sitio Kapihan is the existence and practice of weaponry by both minor and adult men and women, simply with the approval of Senior Agila. A witness, who claimed to be a former member of SBSI, stated that they were made to believe that they were being trained as ‘soldiers of God’, ready to protect their leader. The purchase of various kinds of firearms is suspicious enough to lead us to assume that there may be more than what we can see in the investigation.

The question of whether the SBSI and other personalities were involved in the organization’s transformation into an alleged cult remains. Too many questions are surfacing as the public comes to know more about the SBSI. However, the real and permanent damage is not in the organization but in its members, who gave up their whole lives, including social welfare benefits, to follow a ‘god’ who manipulated and exploited them. The government is now responsible for the lives of former SBSI members who require rehabilitation, assistance, support, and justice after their tragic experiences.

May this be a lesson to everyone, to every organization, religious group or not, and to government departments and agencies that it is the welfare of the people that should come first. The Philippines may have existing religious freedom, but every group must still be checked, not to control the way it manages its members or dictate its activities, but to ensure the continuing progress and welfare of its members. We have been granted this privilege to profess our faith and worship our God publicly. Let us not tarnish it by putting God’s name and His will in shame. <w>

“Freedom of religion does not warrant a culture of impunity”