Monsignor Arnel Lagarejos has been relieved of all his designations in his diocese, Antipolo Bishop Francisco de Leon says

MANILA, Philippines – A 55-year-old priest from a parish in Taytay, Rizal, was arrested for allegedly "booking" a 13-year-old girl with the help of a 16-year-old pimp, the Marikina police said.

Monsignor Arnel Lagarejos was detained immediately after his arrest in Santo Niño, Marikina City, on Friday evening, July 28.

Because of this, Antipolo Bishop Francisco de Leon said in a message on Saturday evening, July 29, that Lagarejos has been relieved of all his designations in his diocese.

Lagarejos was president of Cainta Catholic College (CCC). He was also parish priest of Saint John the Baptist Parish in Poblacion, Taytay, Rizal.

Lagarejos holds a doctorate in theology from the Gregorian University in Rome and a licentiate in theology from the Loyola School of Theology in Quezon City, according to his profile on the CCC website.

The priest, however, initially identified himself to the police as "self employed," Police Senior Inspector Jacqueline Ta-a told Rappler.

Police said Lagarejos was caught in an entrapment operation by the Marikina City Police Women and Children's Protection Desk, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Ta-a said it was the DSWD that first found out that the victim, an out-of-school youth from Marikina City, was being pimped.

This was after the victim opened up to the DSWD. At that time, the victim had been taken in DSWD custody for breaking the city curfew.

"Nagkuwento 'yung bata sa DSWD na parang involved siya together with her friends doon sa parang ibinu-booking sila ng kaibigan nilang bakla (The child told the DSWD that she is involved, together with her friends, in being "booked" by their gay friend)," Ta-a said in a phone interview Saturday evening.

When the DSWD learned about this, the social workers met with the victim's parents. At that time, Ta-a said, the girl's Facebook (FB) messenger account was also opened.

"Tamang tama, noong nabuksan ang FB, meron na namang nagpapa-booking (Coincidentally, when her FB account was opened, someone was having her booked again)," Ta-a said.

This was when they tried to trap the 16-year-old pimp.

The entrapment happened when the pimp escorted the victim to Lagarejos' vehicle.

At first, the pimp and the victim boarded Lagarejos' vehicle together. The priest supposedly handed P500 to the pimp, after which the pimp got off.

The victim was left with Lagarejos inside the vehicle.

Shortly after, policemen approached the pimp and arrested him.

Lagarejos' vehicle sped off "on the way to an unknown motel," police said, then was blocked by the police.

Police said it recovered the following as evidence:
• Lagarejos' iPhone 5s containing text messages of "transactions" between him, the victim, and the pimp

Ta-a said Lagarejos underwent inquest on Saturday for allegedly violating the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.

In a statement, the Diocese of Antipolo said it is looking into the arrest of Lagarejos "as allegedly identified as a suspect in an entrapment operation in Marikina City."

"Thus, we assure the public that we respect the necessary procedures as provided by law in order to further investigate the matter," the Diocese of Antipolo said.

The diocese also urged the public to "refrain from issuing unnecessary comments that might worsen the situation."

"Instead, we appeal for all the faithful to pray that the truth may come out," the Diocese of Antipolo said. – Rappler.com </s> Published: 1:08 p.m., July 29, 2017 | Updated: 12:26 a.m., July 30, 2017

A priest who heads a Catholic school was arrested on Friday night as he was allegedly taking a 13-year-old girl to a motel in Marikina City.

Msgr. Arnel Lagarejos, 55, underwent inquest proceedings on Saturday afternoon for alleged violation of the Anti-Human Trafficking in Persons Act following his arrest around 6:30 p.m. on July 28 near Blue Wave Mall on Sumulong Highway in Barangay Sto. Niño.

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A report to Chief Supt. Romulo Sapitula, Eastern Police District director, said a joint team from Marikina police and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) caught Lagarejos in his sport utility vehicle (SUV) with the minor.

He allegedly came to know the girl, an out-of-school youth, through a 16-year-old gay “pimp,” who was also arrested that same night.

The arrests were made based on information from the girl’s mother, who earlier alerted the Marikina police.

Suspect tight-lipped

In an interview, the city police chief, Senior Supt. Roger Quesada, said Lagarejos initially described himself as a self-employed man when arrested but later admitted he was a priest during questioning.

Lagarejos, who remained in detention as of press time, refused to be interviewed by reporters.

Quoting statements from the mother and the arrested gay teenager, Quesada said Lagarejos was caught as he was about to take the girl to a motel on Sumulong Highway.

Seized from the gay teenager was his smartphone containing text messages purportedly about his transaction with the priest for the girl.

Sapitula said barangay officials and social workers had actually spoken with the girl a day before the entrapment.

The girl then said Lagarejos actually brought her to a motel for the first time in June and warned her “at gunpoint” not to let other men “book” her.

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Based on the suspect’s LinkedIn account, Lagarejos is the current president of Cainta Catholic College (CCC) and former parish priest of the Our Lady of Abandoned Parish also in Cainta.

His credentials, which are also listed in the CCC website, include a doctorate degree in Moral Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

P500 payment

During the entrapment operation, Quesada said, the girl’s mother and a police team waited at the spot where Lagarejos was expected to meet with the pimp.

When the priest arrived in his SUV, he was joined in the vehicle by the gay man and the girl. The gay man later got out after receiving P500 from Lagarejos.

The priest then drove off with the girl but was later stopped by the arresting team along Sumulong Highway. IDL/ atm

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MOST READ </s> Survivors say Australia has made history with a landmark conviction even if Adelaide's Catholic Archbishop does not end up in jail for concealing child sexual abuse.

Philip Wilson, the most senior Catholic official in the world to be convicted of concealing child sex abuse, is likely to serve half of his 12-month sentence in home detention and the remainder on parole.

The 67-year-old will be eligible for parole after six months, emailed court documents show.

The archbishop faced a maximum term of two years in jail and the Newcastle Herald newspaper reported he showed no emotion in court on Tuesday when the sentence was handed down at Newcastle Local Court, 160km north of Sydney.

Dressed in black and wearing a cleric's collar, Wilson made no remarks to journalists outside the court, TV footage showed.

Wilson stood aside last month as the archbishop of Adelaide and is a former president of the Catholic Church's top body in Australia. The Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide had no immediate comment.

The court was told in December last year that Wilson had early stage Alzheimer's disease, a Catholic Church spokesman said last month, a factor that may be taken in to account in determining where he serves the term.

In May, Wilson was convicted of covering up a serious indictable offence by another priest, James Fletcher, after being told about it in 1976 when he was an assistant parish priest in the state of New South Wales.

Lawyers for Wilson, who maintained his innocence throughout the legal process, had argued that he did not know that Fletcher had abused a boy. Fletcher was found guilty in 2004 of nine counts of child sexual abuse and died in jail in 2006 following a stroke.

Originally from the rural Hunter Valley in New South Wales where he served as a young priest, Wilson stepped down as archbishop of Adelaide and was replaced by a Vatican-appointed administrator.

Last year, Australia completed a five-year government-appointed inquiry into child sex abuse in churches and other institutions, amid allegations worldwide that churches had protected paedophile priests by moving them from parish to parish.

The inquiry heard that seven percent of Catholic priests working in Australia between 1950 and 2010 had been accused of child sex crimes and that nearly 1100 people had filed child sexual assault claims against the Anglican Church over 35 years.

Peter Gogarty, a victim of the pedophile priest at the centre of the concealment case, said Wilson had probably been let off "a little bit too lightly" but took comfort in his conviction.

"We have made history here in Australia," Mr Gogarty told reporters outside the Newcastle court.

"The highest ranked Catholic official to ever be brought to account for what we know was a worldwide systematic abuse of children and the concealment of that abuse. So I am content that we've done something in Australia that nobody else has been able to manage."

Another of Fletcher's victims, Daniel Feenan, would have preferred to see Wilson leave the court in handcuffs but hailed the magistrate's decision to impose a 12-month sentence.

"He is the most senior Catholic to ever be charged and he is actually giving him 50 per cent of the maximum term. That is groundbreaking in itself."

The Catholic Church said it hoped the sentence brought some peace for the victims of Fletcher, who died in jail in 2006.

"The Catholic bishops of Australia acknowledge that the effects of sexual abuse can last a lifetime, but we hope that today's custodial sentence brings some sense of peace and healing to those abused by deceased priest James Fletcher."

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference statement acknowledged the courage of survivors in coming forward, saying they had been vital in helping the church learn the lesson of its shameful history of abuse and concealment.

Mr Gogarty and Mr Feenan called for Wilson, who has stood down as Adelaide archbishop, to resign or be removed by Pope Francis.

"If the archbishop does not resign, then the Catholic Church becomes a bigger laughing stock than it already is," Mr Gogarty said.

Bishop Greg O'Kelly, who has administrative and executive authority in the Adelaide archdiocese, did not comment on the sentence but said the church must continue to support survivors.

"We should be very aware of the impact on survivors, their families and all those who love them," the archdiocese's apostolic administrator said.

"I have witnessed the anguish and grief of victims. The church must continue all efforts to listen and support them."

The ACBC said the church had made substantial changes to ensure abuse and cover-up are not part of Catholic life and children are safe. </s> Police entered an apartment where a priest lived. The priest reportedly serves as a secretary to Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, the head of the Pontifical Council for Legislative texts.

An Italian newspaper said police raided the apartment in June after complaints from neighbors who reported unusual behavior.

The police reportedly found drugs and several men having sex when they entered the apartment. The priest was reported on suspicion of drug offenses.

Sex between men in private is not a criminal offense in Italy or in the Vatican City, which is a nominally independent state within the city of Rome.

The apartment reportedly belonged to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which investigates sexual abuse by priests.

Cardinal Coccopalmerio had reportedly recommended the priest for promotion to bishop but that has now been put on hold.

The incident is symptomatic of a difficult period for the Pope.

He remains under huge pressure as a result of sex abuse involving the Roman Catholic Church.

The Pope's critics have reportedly blamed him for picking the wrong people for key positions.

In June, Cardinal George Pell, the highest-ranking Catholic official in Australia, agreed to step down from his job as the Vatican's treasurer to return to Australia after being charged with multiple sexual offenses by Australian authorities.

"I stand by everything I've said at the royal commission [on child sexual abuse] and in other places. We have to respect due process, wait until it's concluded and obviously I'll continue to cooperate fully," he told reporters. He is to appear in court on July 18.

For decades, the Catholic Church has been subject to accusations from numerous activists, organizations and victims for not doing enough to fight pedophilia within its ranks.

In July 2014, Pope Francis referred to child sexual abuse as a "leprosy" that infects the Catholic Church, stating that one in every 50 Catholic priests is a pedophile.

In 2015, Pope Francis approved the creation of a tribunal to hear cases in which bishops have been accused of failing to prevent the sexual abuse of children and "vulnerable adults" by priests. </s> ‘Who needs martial law if our police would behave this way?’ says Kalookan Bishop Pablo David, citing other alleged abuses by the police

MANILA, Philippines – Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David slammed the killing of Kian Loyd delos Santos, a 17-year-old student shot by the police after he allegedly fought back during anti-drug operations in Caloocan City.

"This is one very specific case where an innocent individual, who happens to be just a boy, a grade 11 student, you snuff out the future of a child," David said in a phone interview with Rappler on Friday, August 18.

"That really crushes my heart as bishop. I cannot possibly keep quiet about this," said David, the incoming vice president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

Police claimed that Delos Santos was a drug suspect who, upon seeing them during anti-drug operations, fired his gun toward the direction of the cops.

Police said they had to shoot Delos Santos back in self defense.

CCTV video and testimonies by witnesses, however, indicated otherwise.

CCTV footage showed policemen dragging Delos Santos, his head covered, to the place where he was eventually shot.

Witnesses interviewed by ABS-CBN also contradicted the police. One of them said it was the police that handed Delos Santos a gun, and ordered him to pull the trigger and run.

The witness also recounted how the police allegedly handed the gun to the 17-year-old.

"Sabi, 'Hawakan mo 'to.' Sabi po ni Kian, 'Ano pong gagawin ko dito?' 'Iputok mo. Tapos tumakbo ka.' Iyon daw po ang pagkakasabi. Tapos si Kian po, umiiyak na po siya," the witness said.

'Is this what the drug war is about?'

The Kalookan bishop said on Friday, "We do believe this is one very specific case of abuse."

David said he also pities the victim's father, who also spoke in an ABS-CBN interview.

"It crushes your heart just listening to this because it's like listening to so many others' frightened testimonies," he said.

David also cited other alleged abuses by the police.

He said that in Navotas, for example, he has received reports of abduction, which "were reported as legitimate police operations."

"But the ones who abducted them were in bonnets," David said in a mix of English and Filipino. "So my natural question is, you mean to say that the bonnet gang and the police are the same?"

"Who needs martial law if our police would behave this way?" said one of the bishops most outspoken against extrajudicial killings. (READ: Bishop slams vigilantes as 'termites,' 'new Judases')

"Are we forgetting that they have not suspended the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, that you cannot just abduct people, you cannot just arrest people, you cannot just enter anybody’s house without a search warrant?"

"It seems there's no rule of law anymore. Is this what the drug war is about? Does it curtail all our civil liberties?" the bishop said.

The killing of Delos Santos comes after simultaneous anti-drug operations on Tuesday, August 15, killed 32 people in Bulacan. A day later, an overnight operation in Manila killed 25.

Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella on Friday defended the series of "one-time, big-time" drug raids in Bulacan and Metro Manila.

"This is not a reckless exercise of blood letting. There's a rhyme and a reason in the police operations," Abella said on Friday.

On the death of Delos Santos, Abella said, "That incident, happily, I think is isolated." – Rappler.com </s> A child sex abuse site on the Dark Web has been busted in an international operation led by Interpol.

Dubbed Operation Blackwrist, named after a bracelet worn by one of the offenders, the two-year operation led to the arrest and prosecution of nine offenders in Australia, Thailand and the US.

In a media release yesterday, Interpol said the operation was launched in 2017 following the discovery of material depicting the abuse of 11 boys, all under 13 years old.

The material was from a website with about 63,000 subscribers worldwide.

For years, the site published new material weekly, with great care taken to avoid detection by masking the children.

Investigators from Thailand, the United States, Bulgaria, New Zealand and Australia worked on the case together, identifying the victims and offenders. Then in January last year, the authorities swooped in.

They conducted simultaneous arrests of the site's administrators in Australia and Thailand.

The main administrator, Montri Salangam, was based in Thailand.

He was the man seen abusing the 11 boys, including his own nephew.

Interpol said the children were lured to his home with meals, Internet access and football games.

A second administrator, Ruecha Tokputza, was based in Australia.

Police found thousands of images taken in both Thailand and Australia on his devices.

The youngest of his victims was just 15 months old.

Investigations stemming from the arrests of the two led to further arrests in Australia, Thailand and the United States.

The authorities were able to remove 50 victims from harm, but believe there are at least 100 more unidentified children who were also abused.

Last year, the Thai courts jailed Salangam for 146 years.

Another offender, an unnamed nursery school teacher who was arrested during the operation, was jailed 36 years.

Last week, Tokputza was jailed 40 years and three months in Australia, making it the longest sentence handed out by the country for child sex offences.

Further arrests and rescues are expected in the next few years, as the authorities in 60 countries are now examining the evidence which has been shared through the Interpol International Child Sexual Exploitation database.

Interpol secretary General Jürgen Stock said he welcomed the successful prosecutions and lauded the co-operation between the law enforcement agencies of the different countries.

"Every child abuse image is evidence of a crime and Interpol will always provide its full support to officers on the ground to help identify and rescue victims around the world," he said.

"Operation Blackwrist sends a clear message to those abusing children, producing child sexual exploitation material and sharing the images online: We see you, and you will be brought to justice." </s> A two-year international operation involving police from Australia, Bulgaria, New Zealand, Thailand and the US and coordinated by Interpol has led to the arrest of nine alleged child sex offenders in Thailand, the US and Australia.

The investigation — called Operation Blackwrist — was launched in 2017 after police found material showing the abuse of 11 boys, all below the age of 13, by an online international pedophilia ring operating on the dark web on a subscription basis.

Dark web sites cannot be found via search engines, and access requires typing in the specific URL address.

Police said 50 children were rescued, with around 100 more suspected of having suffered abuse. Police are working to identify the victims.

"Operation Blackwrist sends a clear message to those abusing children, producing child sexual exploitation material and sharing the images online: We see you, and you will be brought to justice," Interpol Secretary-General Jürgen Stock said in a statement.

Interpol stressed that international cooperation in fighting child sexual abuse was key as pedophilia networks tended to be "transnational."

In early 2018, police made the first arrests, capturing the site's main administrator, Montri Salangam in Thailand. He was seen abusing the 11 boys, one of whom was his nephew. Another administrator, Ruecha Tokputza, was detained in Australia.

In June that year, Salangam was sentenced to 146 years in prison for child rape, human trafficking as well as possession and distribution of child sex abuse material by a Thai court. Tokputza was sentenced to 40 years in prison in Australia. </s> Cardinal George Pell, Former Vatican Official, Sentenced To 6 Years In Prison

Australian Cardinal George Pell, 77, a former leading Vatican official who last month was convicted of sexually abusing two boys, has been sentenced to six years in prison. He will be eligible for parole after three years and eight months.

During the sentencing hearing, Victoria state County Court Chief Judge Peter Kidd acknowledged the disgraced cleric may not live to serve the full sentence.

"I am conscious that the term of imprisonment, which I am about to impose upon you, carries with it a real, as distinct from theoretical, possibility that you may not live to be released from prison," Kidd said to Pell.

The prospect of facing jail at Pell's advanced age "must be an awful state of affairs," Kidd added.

Pell was convicted in December of five sexual offenses committed against two 13-year-old choirboys during an incident in 1996 at Melbourne's grandest cathedral, when he was archbishop.

A 12-member jury unanimously found him guilty of exposing himself to the two boys, fondling them and forcing one to perform oral sex on him. The jury also convicted Pell of indecently assaulting one of the boys more than a month later.

A court-issued gag order had suppressed media reporting of the news until last month.

Following the sentencing on Wednesday, Vivian Waller, a lawyer for one of the victims, read a written statement by her client outside the court.

"It is hard for me to allow myself to feel the gravity of this moment, the moment when the sentence is handed down, the moment when justice is done," the man wrote. "It is hard for me, for the time being, to take comfort in this outcome. I appreciate that the court has acknowledged what was inflicted upon me as a child. However, there is no rest for me. Everything is overshadowed by the forthcoming appeal."

The other victim died in 2014 of a heroin overdose. He was 31 and never reported the abuse.

Pell denies the allegations, and his lawyers argue he has been made a scapegoat for the failings of the Catholic Church regarding sexual abuse by priests, NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reported.

Pell has filed an appeal, and the court will determine if there are sufficient grounds for it to be heard. A court date has been set for June 5.

In court on Wednesday, Pell was told he will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life.

He is the most senior Vatican leader ever charged with sexual abuse. He was selected by Pope Francis to run the Vatican's new economic ministry. </s> BANGKOK: Fifty children abused by sex offenders operating a website from locations including Thailand and Australia have been removed from harm as part of an international operation coordinated by Interpol.

Named Operation Blackwrist after a bracelet worn by one of the sexual predators, the international investigation began when Interpol’s Crimes Against Children unit discovered photographs and videos showing the abuse of 11 boys on the dark web two years ago. All of them were under 13 years old.

According to Interpol, the materials originated from a subscription-based website with nearly 63,000 users worldwide. Each week, the site would publish new abusive materials. The victims’ identity would be masked to allow only a few visual and audio clues.

The abuse discovered by Interpol was carried out by the site’s main administrator in Thailand's Surin province - Montri Salangam - who lured the children to his home with meals, Internet access and football games. One of the victims is his own nephew.

“The investigation took six months before we could identified the victims in Surin. The website sharing abusive images has revealed a link with Australia's Adelaide. Thailand's Department of Special Investigation (DSI), as a result, worked with the Australian police to arrest a suspect in Australia on the same day we arrested the suspect in Thailand, Jan 16, 2018,” said Police Captain Kemachart Prakaihongmanee from DSI.

The first victims were identified in November 2017, followed by arrests in Thailand, Australia and the United States. Among the offenders was a second site administrator based in Australia - Ruecha Tokputza. His confiscated devices revealed thousands of images taken in Thailand and Australia, some of which showed him as the main abuser.

Both the abusers have been sentenced for their crimes. In June last year, Thai courts handed Salangam 146 years in prison on charges of child rape, human trafficking, possessing and distributing child sexual abuse materials.

On May 17, Tokputza was sentenced to 40 years and three months in prison - the longest jail sentence ever imposed in Australia for child sex offences. He was described by an Australian judge as “every child’s worst nightmare” and “every parent’s horror”.

Besides the 50 victims already identified, police believe there are still 100 more who have suffered sexual abuse. Investigators are currently trying to identify them as they continue to comb through devices and chat groups, website users and offenders. As for the abusive images and videos seized, they have been uploaded to Interpol’s International Child Sexual Exploitation database.

"Every image is evidence of a crime. It's important to work on these images to identify the crime," said Interpol’s criminal intelligence officer Cecilia Wallin. "One of the unit's main purposes is to identify the victims through images and videos. We do that through a global network."

According to Eric McLoughlin from the US Homeland Security Investigations in Bangkok, Operation Blackwrist has led to numerous arrests in the US involving individuals occupying “positions of public trust”, and another one who was also abusing his two-year-old stepbrother.

The operation is a sophisticated and collaborative effort involving security and intelligence officers from nearly 60 countries worldwide, including those from Thailand’s Department of Special Investigations (DSI) who took on the case in June 2017.



Following Interpol’s discovery of child sexual abuse materials produced in Thailand, US investigators identified the website IP address before Bulgaria’s Cybercrime Department took down the website’s server.



In New Zealand, the Department of Internal Affairs compiled information on website users for Interpol member countries. Email addresses were then cross-checked by the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and additional intelligence was provided.

An IP address pointed to a location in Adelaide, prompting the Australian police to join the operation.

"This kind of investigation shows two things," said acting deputy assistant director of the HIS David Magdycz.

"To the criminals, wherever you are in the world, you cannot hide," he added. "And victims have a voice."
Monsignor Arnel Lagarejos, a Catholic priest from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antipolo, Philippines was arrested in Marikina for sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl, by inviting her to a motel with a 16-year-old pimp.