Simala Scandal

Friday, September 18, 2009 - two ex-monks and a former devotee of a popular shrine in Simala, Sibonga town revealed yesterday allegations of corruption and sex, saying these have tainted the pilgrimage site for years.  The said allegation was aired on radios and televisions, and it was unanswered by shrine’s officials.  

It is said that the former monk, Venancio Cabillon, who was expelled from the congregation for leaving without notice.  He allegedly told reporters about the deviant acts of the monks such as – corruption, sodomy and Miss Gay Pageant.  He said that the pageant was held inside the shrine where he won second prize.  Moreover, Cabillon a self-professed homosexual, revealed that he had experienced having sex with his fellow monk inside the shrine.  He added that before he left the congregation a security guard confessed to him that he was sexually harassed by some of the monks.

Dodong, a novice monk, said that he spent his time counting loose change that was donated by the devotees. He added that he himself was not spared from homosexual deeds. He alleged that one of the senior monks had him sit on the other’s lap.

Cabillon denied that he was expelled from the congregation but he formally resigned with the permission of Fr. Fray Martin and Archbishop. Ricardo Cardinal Vidal.  He pointed that the report that was published in “Ang Bag-ong Lungsoranon,” an Archdiocese’s publication was a lie.

Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal urged the concerned parties to file a complaint with his office, so the alleged corruption and sex in the Simala shrine can be investigated.  During the anniversary of the Bag-ong Lungsuranon yesterday, Cardinal Vidal told reporters that he will not act on the charges unless Cabillon files a proper complaint in his office.  In an interview, shrine workers Pastora Superable and John Louis Savellon told Sun.Star Cebu their allegations against Cabillon. They accused him of, among others, collecting donations without authorization. 

Cardinal Vidal said that he does not allow any pageant inside any holy place. He laughed when he heard that Frater Martin supposedly asked for his permission to hold the pageant.

“That’s the problem; they say something without asking me. I hope that he was just name-dropping, because they have not come to me (for permission),” said Cardinal Vidal.

Vidal added he also doesn’t allow any member of any religious congregation to secure or carry firearms.

“Who in his right sense would do that? It’s not proper,” said the archbishop.

He also defended the monks against reports they have been conducting money-making schemes inside the shrine, and said that some of the wares being sold were on consignment.

This issue is not new to us.  It happened years ago already, as you can remember Jose Rizal wrote about this already in his novels.  It’s just simply a repeat of history.  It’s up to the people which side they should believe in.  Let us not make this issue over rated.  There are a lot of issues that are more important to deal with.  For Cabillon, for more than 17 years of being a monk, why did he reveal it now?  Is it really because he was humiliated?  Or there’s another reason for this.  If he had experienced the deviant deeds before, why didn’t he come out in the open right away?  He waited for 17 years to reveal it, what’s his purpose?  As what I observed both camps are trying to outdo each other in an attempt to squeal.  Like other issues, this will just die to its natural death.