A group of foreigners clad in dark clothing and marching in single file out of a subdivision caught the attention of other homeowners and alarmed residents reportedly.

The incident on March 4, 2025 was caught on video inside a subdivision in the Municipality of Minglanilla, Cebu Province. 

Police Major Mark Don Alfred Leanza, chief of the Minglanilla Police Station, said that at least 61 foreign nationals were seen in the video.

They claim to be members of “Those in Need of the Father,” reportedly a religious group.

Leanza said that the 61 foreigners marched out of the subdivision so as not to disturb other homeowners while in worship. They chose to go to an upland area for a spiritual service while their place of worship  in Talisay City is "undergoing renovation."

"Instead nga didto sila sa ilahang place of worship nangita sila og place nga mingaw adto sila sa layo para dili sad kabulabog kay magkanta-kanta man ni sila niya pagpagawas nila mao tong videoha, ang leader niingon nga mag-one line ta para dili ta kasamok ug hapsay ang paggawas sa subdivision; unfortunately na-misunderstood ug na-alarm ang [name of subdivision] kay tungod ana puro man gud sila foreign national,” Leanza said.

American, British, and Jamaican nationals comprise the said congregation. 

It was further learned that the leader of the group has been living in the said subdivision for a year already, and that the group is about two years old.

Leanza also clarified that the group did not carry any firearm or weapon. They were seen carrying a flag instead.

“Akong giklaro gahapon kay gipaari man nato ang leader, giklaro nako naa ba mo’y armas, wala, naa ba mo’y mga sundang, bolo, wala [ingon ang leader] wala mi ana [ingon ang leader],” Leanza said.

Leanza added that the foreigners have been cooperative with the investigation that is ongoing, as of posting time. 

MINGLANILLA LGU DEMANDS THOROUGH INVESTIGATION, POLICE REPORT 'INSUFFICIENT' 

The Municipal Government of Minglanilla has demanded that the police conduct a "deeper and more thorough investigation" on the details behind a video showing more than 60 young and able-bodied foreigners wearing black and who looked like they were "marching" inside the Minglanilla Highlands subdivision in Barangay Tubod.

Mayor Rajiv Enad had called Leanza to a meeting on March 6, 2025 where the police chief reported that the group’s “leader,” American Derick Curry II went to the police station last March 5, 2025 to say that the 61 foreigners seen in the video belong to a religious group called “Abayonaym or Those In Need of the Father.”

Curry told the police investigators that they were "having a prayer meeting and they walked in single file when they exited the subdivision so as not to disturb the neighborhood."

The group leader gave the police a list with 61 names, according to a post on the social media page of the mayor on March 7, 2025. 

Leanza had also sent police personnel to the area, found that “Americans and Jamaican nationals” who were not residents of the subdivision were also in the premises of the subdivision. He, however, instantly concluded that the group “poses no threat” to the community and that the group was “cooperative” with the investigation.

Enad, however, asked Leanza to "deepen his investigation after finding out that the group rented 17 houses in Minglanilla Highlands, a high-end subdivision."

The mayor received reports that it was not the only time that the group held a “marching” activity in the area, which alarmed the community.

He also asked Leanza to widen his probe by coordinating with other government agencies.