PHILIPPINES
Manila Times
December 5, 2015
by JEFRY TUPAS, CORRESPONDENT
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday night named the Jesuit priest who allegedly abused him and several others while he was a student at the Ateneo de Davao University.
Duterte said a certain Fr. Mark Falvey molested him when he was between 14 and 15 years old.
“It happened during our generation, two years ahead of us and two years following us,” he added.
“It cost him some P25 million because other victims filed a case, it was a case of fondling–you know what–he did during confession, that’s how we lost our innocence early,” Duterte said.
As a young boy, according to him, he was afraid, thus, no case was filed against the priest.
“It was a sort of sexual awakening for each of us,” he said. “We realized quite early that ganun talaga ang buhay [life was like that], “Paano magreklamo [How to complain].”
But he said he still respects some members of the Catholic clergy, particularly Archbishop Oscar Cruz. …
Who is Fr. Falvey?
A 2007 report of the Los Angeles Times said the Jesuit order paid $16 million to settle claims against a certain Mark Falvey who allegedly sexually abused nine children over 16 years ending in 1975.
“Mark Falvey was accused of molesting four girls and five boys between 1959 and 1975 at Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic Church in Hollywood. Falvey died 31 years ago (1976) and “was never charged with a crime,” the LA Times report read.
According to lawyer Raymond Boucher, one of Falvey’s victims was an 8-year-old girl who tried to commit suicide.
“This guy brought a lifetime of misery to a group of young children. They’ll never get over it,” Boucher said.
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