LUBAO, Pampanga — This is “Clara.” In 2023, she was brought to the New Life Baptist Church of Mexico, Pampanga Inc. (NLBCMPI) — not by choice, but by circumstance. She was only 12, already carrying the unspoken wounds of being abused by her stepfather.
The church-run facility promised safety, care, and healing. At first, she believed it. The pastor greeted her with warmth, the houseparents spoke with gentle voices. For a fleeting moment, she felt she had finally found a place where the hurt could stop. But the kindness faded.
The same walls that were meant to shelter her began to close in like a cage. Clara learned that comfort here came with conditions, and punishment came swiftly. She remembers one day, just before her rescue on Aug. 13, when she had not done the dishes on time. She tried to make it right, but instead she was ordered to kneel on rock salt for two hours, her knees swelling, the sharp edges cutting into her skin. The pain bit deep, but it was nothing compared to the ache in her heart. Clara recalled being hit twice with an arnis stick by the pastor himself for being “unruly.” She remembers the suffocating dark of being locked inside the comfort room. Her bruises were both visible and invisible, and each day made it harder to tell where one ended and the other began.
Some children defended the pastor, perhaps out of fear or loyalty. But Clara and five others refused to stay silent. “I wanted to end this pain,” she said. “It’s not just for me but for my fellows who were also abused.”
Their courage reached the ears of those who could help. Soon after, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, alongside the police, stormed the facility and rescued 156 children — 78 boys and 78 girls.
The director of the NLBCMPI, Pastor Jeremy Ferguson, an American national, now faces multiple charges for violation of RA 7610 (Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act). The DSWD has also issued a cease-and-desist order against NLBCMP.
The children, including Clara, were brought to the Reception and Study Center for Children in Lubao, Pampanga. It was there that Pampanga Provincial Governor Lilia “Nanay” Pineda and Vice Governor Dennis “Delta” Pineda personally came to see them.
They spoke to the children, listened to their stories, and reassured them that they were no longer alone. The Provincial Health Office, led by Dr. Dax Tidula, along with fellow doctors, was deployed to assess their physical and emotional condition, ensuring each child received the medical care and attention they needed.
Clara is now far from the walls that failed her. Her body still bears the marks of cruelty, but her voice once small and afraid has become the loudest weapon she owns. And now, for the first time in a long time, there are people in power standing beside her, determined to help her heal.
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