Boys Town OIC, 5 volunteers dismissed

DANIEL Cabangangan, officer-in-charge of the Boys Town Complex in Marikina City, has been dismissed from his post after being found guilty of charges that he had abused some of the facility’s wards.

The Manila City government — which runs the home for poor and abandoned youth — made the announcement yesterday, over two months after PCIJ’s special report on the abuses being committed on the boys by Cabangangan and several of his deputies.

Five volunteers recruited in 2004 by Cabangangan — themselves the subjects of the boys’ complaints — were fired as well by Manila mayor Lito Atienza.

The PCIJ report told the stories of several boys who have been sexually abused, and another two dozen beaten up, by Cabangangan and the volunteers. At the time of the report, the Manila city government had not acted on any of the boys’ complaints, and Cabangangan appeared to have the support of the city hall. Mayor Atienza had even failed to reply to PCIJ’s queries before the report was published on June 12.

Two days after the PCIJ report, four senior officers of the Boys Town were relieved from their posts and transferred to the Manila Department of Social Welfare (MDSW) office at City Hall; the reason for their sudden relief was not made known to them. All four are known to be sympathetic to the abused boys. The four told PCIJ they have had to “bear the brunt” of Cabangangan’s anger, provoked by their having spoken to the media about the abuses in the facility.

Atienza made the first official move on Cabangangan on June 19, ordering the creation of an ad hoc committee that will investigate the allegations of abuse. The mayor relieved Cabangangan of his post, transferring him to another office.

In his order, Atienza said, “We want to make sure by means of a thorough legal process that no human rights violation had been committed by any officer or personnel of Boys Town.”

The investigating committee then made the recommendation for the dismissal of the officials.

Following their dismissal on Wednesday, Cabangangan and the four volunteers will no longer be allowed to serve in government.

Denying the charges, Cabangangan has been quoted as saying he was “a married man and a father, and incapable of committing” the acts he was being accused of.