Who is Shay Cullen?

People’s Recovery, Empowerment and Development Assistance (PREDA) Foundation

Shay Cullen

Founder since 1974

Fr. Shay Cullen is a Missionary priest from Ireland, a member of the Missionary Society of St. Columban and Founder of Preda Foundation since 1974.

Profile of Father Shay Cullen, Preda Founder

Early Life

The Preda Foundation was established in Olongapo City by Father Shay Cullen 1974. He grew up in Glasthule, County Dublin, Ireland and joined the Missionary Society of Saint Columban in 1962 and was assigned to Olongapo city in the Philippines in 1969, a town that was totally dependent on the nearby US naval base.

Early Missionary Work in Olongapo City

His first mission was working with students in St. Jospeh’s Parish school and later saving youth of the city that were jailed and at risk of summary execution. He established the New Dawn home 1974,on a hill overlooking Subic Bay. This was a residential therapeutic healing centre for boys at risk and in conflict with law. There he developed a successful therapy to heal the pain of childhood abuse and empower the clients. It is known as Emotional Release Therapy. The successful therapy has been the subject of several television documentaries.

Campaign Against the Sex Tourist Industry

In 1983 he uncovered a city wide child sexual abuse practice selling children for sex to US navy men. His international expose of the child abuse caused angry city officials to attempt to have him deported they failed. In1996 he opened a separate residential home for abused and trafficked girl children. He pursued justice for them and the children won several convictions of local and foreign child traffickers and sexual abusers. The conviction rate today is an average of twenty convictions a year. A home for male children-at-risk was opened in Nagbayan, Castellijos, Zambales and in 2018 a home for children in conflict with the law was opened in 2018.

International Advocacy for Human Rights

He participated in several documentaries for television and is a campaigner for human rights especially child rights and successfully suggested and promoted new Philippine child protection laws. He was a delegate to the final UN drafting conference of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in Helsinki, that was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1989.

He has campaigned in many countries for Extra Territorial Jurisdiction laws that brings traveling child abusers to justice in their own countries and he promoted laws prohibiting the making of child abuse materials. At present he is campaigning for a new law to establish a Philippine Children’s Court and the establishment of Therapeutic Healing Centers for abused and trafficked children.

US Military Bases Conversion Plan

In 1983 he began a campaign to close and convert the US Military bases to Philippine civilian economic zones. That was eventually successful with the Philippine Senate ruling against a new military bases treaty with the United States on 13 September 1991.

Establishment of the Preda Fair Trade

In 1976 Fr. Shay began Preda Fair Trade to help Indigenous people. He developed an export business for baskets and later for dried mangos and mango puree that pays fair prices and dividends to the farmers for their mangos. Preda fair Trade continues to fund many development projects for 620 farmers. This is helping to reduce poverty and give an alternative to human trafficking of the children of tenant farmers. Any surplus earnings are donated to the Preda children’s homes.

Media Advocacy and Writings

Father Shay is an author of a memoir, Passion and Power, and a novel (unpublished).He is a former columnist in the Philippine Daily Inquirer and at present he is an editorial page columnist in The Sunday Times (owned by The Manila Times) and is a contributor to news agencies and other publications.

Fr Shay Cullen's Mission and Legacy

Over two thousand children have been rescued, healed and given a new life by the work of the Preda Foundation. Father Shay Cullen lives and continues to work at the Preda Foundation in Olongapo City and continues to write his weekly column in The Sunday Times and updating his memoir for republication some day. Father Shay has been nominated four times for the Nobel Peace Prize and he has received many human right awards.

Fr Shay Cullen's Reflections on His Work

Asked what reward he has received in return for his mission, Fr Shay Cullen says, “There are not many other than the satisfaction of knowing that I have and can help others have a better and more meaningful life.” Indeed, his is a meaningful life lived for others without seeking reward.