More seats filled in Hope and Healing Guam

By Krystal Paco
KUAM
April 25, 2017

http://www.kuam.com/story/35234158/2017/04/Tuesday/more-seats-filled-in-hope-and-healing-guam

More familiar faces fill the open seats in the newly-formed non-profit Hope and Healing Guam. Andrew Camacho is the Vice President of the Concerned Catholics of Guam. Julie Perez-Bollinger is a retired nurse and no stranger to the weekly Sunday pickets in front of the Hagatna Cathedral.

Retired teacher Joe Santos is the man behind Silent No More - the effort which ultimately resulted in the change of Guam law to lift the civil statute of limitations for child sex abuse cases.

They're no strangers to the controversies facing the local Catholic community. In fact, they've all been active in trying to clean up the Church, which is why they were chosen and announced on Tuesday as the Board of Incorporators for Hope and Healing Guam. The non-profit was established with the sole purpose of addressing clergy sex abuse claims. Although funded by the Archdiocese of Agana, they operate independently.

Hope and Healing Guam Executive Director Michael Caspino said, "One of the big facets of having these three folks involved is the independence element of it. They're here to make sure we're independent from the archdiocese which we are. So there's certain boundaries we don't cross," he said.

"Can you think of three better people? People from CCOG, Silent No More, and protestors there that would ensure this process is independent and transparent."

Camacho will serve as President, Perez-Bollinger as Secretary, and Santos, who is off-island, as Treasurer. Their names were recently submitted to the Department of Revenue and Taxation to make the non-profit official.

Camacho added, "Our work is administrative. We'll do the budgets, pay the bills, file the annual financial statements, etc. - the general administrative work of the corporation. The real work of Hope and Healing Guam, the healing, the counseling, the treatment of victims of abuse, will be conducted by the board of evaluators."

Earlier this week, former U.S. Attorney for Guam and the CNMI Alicia Limtiaco was named chairperson of the Board of Evaluators. She and six soon-to-be named board members will be tasked with addressing claims head-on.