Pinoy priest in Oregon hidden camera scandal now in PHL –report

A Filipino priest wanted in the United States for allegedly putting a hidden camera inside an Oregon church bathroom has reportedly fled to the Philippines, a month before police charged him with three misdemeanors.

Citing a statement from the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, the Oregon Live reported that Father Ysrael Bien "had traveled to the Philippines to visit family," days after he was put on administrative leave in connection with the scandal involving the hidden camera.

In his August 20 letter to parishoners, Archbishop Alexander Sample of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon said Bien, 34, had claimed he would be living with a priest friend in Portland, but was found to have left for the Philippines.

He also said he had tried to convince Bien to return to the US, but the Filipino priest supposedly declined, citing his health and well-being as reasons.

"In an August 13 follow-up letter, I urged Fr. Bien to reconsider his decision, directed him to return, and assured him that whatever would be helpful to his health and well-being would be made available to him here. To date Fr. Bien has not responded," Sample said.

"Fr. Bien’s lengthy absence from the Archdiocese without my permission is violation of canon (church) law," he added.

The Filipino priest is wanted for misdemeanor charges of invasion of privacy, tampering with evidence and initiating a false report.

The controversy started after a 15-year-old parishioner approached Bien on April 26 and informed him of a camera found disguised as a wire in a bathroom next to the vesting room of St. Francis Church in Sherwood.

Despite reassuring the teenager and his parents that he will report the incident to his superiors, Bien reportedly fabricated updates on the case until May 19, when he told a deacon and the teenager's father that the camera went missing.

A report on Catholic Sentinel said the camera was worth $295 and was disguised as an electrical socket.

Fox 12 Oregon, meanwhile, has listed contact details for anyone who knew Bien's location or believe that they may have been a victim of privacy invasion. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News