On a remote island in the Philippines, high in the mountains and far from society, there is a hidden doomsday cult with more than 1,000 children, many of whom believe they are being forced into marriage.
This cult, known as Socorro Bayaniham Services (SBSI), is led by leader Jey Rence B. Quilario, who believes he is the reincarnation of Jesus and is said to be nicknamed "The Messiah". His disciples called themselves “soldiers of God.”
The organization has at least 3,500 members, including 1,580 children, and in recent weeks, it is estimated that at least eight children have escaped from the community. The cult has attracted the attention of the Philippine government, some of whom have condemned the organization.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros, 57, chairwoman of the Senate Women and Children's Committee, was among the members who expressed concerns. According to Hontivero, the organization began to recover after a series of earthquakes that occurred in Surigao del Norte, Philippines, in early 2019.
Quilario uses this opportunity to inspire people to join his group and be "saved" from the apocalypse. In a speech, she said, “This is a heartbreaking story of rape, sexual violence, child abuse, and forced marriage perpetrated by a cult on minors.
This cult is armed and dangerous. We are talking about more than a thousand young people in our hands. From a deceitful, cruel, and abusive cult, the children are truly in danger, and time is running out. We cannot; we must not look away,” she added.
She also claimed that Quilario would demand 60% of each member's pension and smuggle drugs to make more money. Some members escaped and told stories of their suffering within the cult.
One of them was a 15-year-old girl, using the pseudonym Chloe, who was allegedly locked in a room with her new husband by Quilario and forced to have sex with him. It is believed that Quilario "had the right to rape her" since they were married. She was only 13 years old, and he was 21.
Anna Fionah L. Bojos, a member of the NGO Cebu Human Rights, visited the area and testified that children were forced into labor and forced to carry sand and rocks. This will apparently be used to build a swimming pool and basketball court.
Ms. Bojo also stated that if children's work was not up to standard, they would be assaulted and, in some cases, taken to "cave" for days and placed in solitary confinement. “The children also have to do'masi-masi' every day,” Ms. Bojo said.
These are physical exercises in which they run with a heavy bag filled with rocks, complete obstacle courses, use guns and bladed weapons, learn martial arts, swim, and crawl through trash-filled mud and urine. “Even though the sect said it was their voluntary work, in reality they were supervised and disciplined for not doing their job,” Ms.
Bojos told the Philippine Star newspaper. Despite the story dominating the Philippine media, Socorro Bayanihan continues to deny all allegations, instead claiming that the children were influenced to "fabricate" his story.
Jey Rence B Quilario has allegedly forced children into marriage
But as the cult gained attention, former members came forward to speak about their experiences in the club. One of them is "Karl", 28 years old, who was a member of the Agila Squad. This is clearly the armed wing of the Socorro Bayanihan Service.
“The children [also] have to do'masi-masi' every day,” Ms. Bojo said. These are physical exercises in which they run with a heavy bag filled with rocks, complete obstacle courses, use guns and bladed weapons, learn martial arts, swim, and crawl through trash-filled mud and urine.
“Even though the sect said it was their voluntary work, in reality they were supervised and disciplined for not doing their job,” Ms. Bojos told The Philippine Star newspaper. Despite the story dominating the Philippine media, Socorro Bayanihan continues to deny all allegations, instead claiming that the children were influenced to "fabricate" his story.
But as the cult gained attention, former members came forward to speak about their experiences in the club. One of them is "Karl", 28 years old, who was a member of the Agila Squad. This is clearly the armed wing of the Socorro Bayanihan Service.