Philippines doomsday ‘cult’ accused of child sex abuse

An obscure religious movement, believed to be promoting an imminent end-of-the-world ideology, has been accused of engaging in sexual violence and forced marriage of its own members, including children.
The Socorro Bayanihan Services, which was originally a civic organisation, has morphed into a quasi-religious group that is also allegedly involved in extorting money from its members, as well as the drug trade in the town of Socorro, an island in Mindanao.
The organisation, now known as Omega de Salonera, has at least 3,500 members, including 1,580 children. They are reportedly sequestered in a heavily guarded mountain enclave.
In recent weeks, at least eight children managed to escape from the mountain community and provided harrowing first-person testimonies to the authorities in Socorro town.
Former members of the religious movement say they believed its leader was Jesus reincarnated.

Al Jazeera’s Barnaby Lo reports from the group’s enclave in Socorro, southern Philippines.

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