Church leaders condemn massacre in Philippines
The Rev. Rex Reyes Jr. discusses a report detailing human rights
violations in the Philippines, in this 2007 photo. A UMNS file photo by
Kathy L. Gilbert.
A UMNS Report
By Kathy L. Gilbert*
Dec. 1, 2009 | MANILA, Philippines (UMNS)
Religious leaders, including The United Methodist Church, are
calling for an end to private armies and are reaching out to the
victims of a political massacre that left 57 people dead.
“Even as we grieve and mourn, we are outraged,” the National Council
of Churches in the Philippines said in a statement after the Nov. 23
killings.
"Disarming the private armies of warlords is of paramount import in
the course of the coming elections," Bishop Felixberto Calang of the
Philippine Independent Church told Ecumenical News International from
the southern Philippine city of Cagayan de Oro. "Let us call for the
repudiation of private armies and work for a people-friendly and just
environment so that we can have fair, free and honest elections."
“If
you are against the government... you’re an enemy of the government,”
says Bishop Leo Soriano, of the Davao area in the Philippines. A UMNS
photo by Mike DuBose.
|
Andal Ampatuan Jr., the heir of a powerful clan and an ally of
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, was charged Dec. 1 in connection
with the attack on a caravan of journalists, lawyers, and the wife,
relatives and several supporters of Ampatuan’s rival, Vice Mayor Esmael
Mangudadatu of Maguindanao's Buluan township. Mangadadatu’s supporters
had intended to file for his candidacy for governor in elections
scheduled for next May.
“This massacre is a grim reminder of the pervading culture of
impunity and the lack of respect for human rights that has been in our
midst and that has turned for the worse since 2001,” said the statement
signed by the Rev. Rex Reyes Jr., top executive of the National Council
of Churches in the Philippines.
Conscience of the nation
The United Methodist Church in the Philippines has been active in
working with the council to shine the spotlight on extrajudicial
killings, which have escalated since Arroyo was elected in 2001. Arroyo
has denied any military role in the killings and declared a national
day of mourning after the recent massacre.
“If you are against the government … you’re an enemy of the government,” said Bishop Leo A. Soriano, Davao Area.
Soriano was in the United States recently for a Council of Bishops
meeting and spoke about the ongoing violence in his country. “If you
try to raise some issues and questions about corruption and about how
things are being done, then you are an enemy of the government. And you
will simply be eliminated.”
Justice Reynato Puno, a United Methodist who is chief justice of the
Philippine Supreme Court, has questioned the roles of the government
and military in hundreds of deaths and abductions in the Philippines.
"Telling the truth requires courage," he said.
Many of the victims have been church workers who support the poor.
The Rev. Isaias St. Rosa, a United Methodist local pastor, was shot by
gunmen outside his home in 2006.
The United Methodist California-Nevada Annual (regional) Conference
has sent three teams to the Philippines to hear stories of abductions,
torture and killings.
Soriano said the church is the conscience of the nation. “We have to
speak all these things in spite of death threats. We have so many
victims who died doing these things, and this is their Christian faith.”
Praying for peace
The National Council of Churches in the Philippines called the incident “a massacre most foul, gross and utterly repugnant.”
“The gruesome massacre of unarmed civilians is also a painful reminder
that government statements to the dismantling of political warlordism
have been mere rhetoric,” the council said. “Government has either
turned a blind eye or entered into alliances with these warlords for
political expediency at the expense of creating democratic space.
Political warlordism is a manifestation of a feudal social order, and
we join the call that it should now be outdated.
“To our partners around the world, our deep gratitude for upholding
us in your supplication and affirming our calls,” the churches said.
“We pray that peace and justice be given a chance in Mindanao and
elsewhere in this country.” The province where the massacre took place
is on the island of Mindanao.
“We pray that all the resources that have been poured in Mindanao
bail the people out from the mire of poverty, neglect and human
indignity,” the council said. “We pray that we all rise from this
blasphemy for the sake of the God who loves us all and calls us to be
one people, and for the sake of our children and the children yet
unborn.”
*Gilbert is a news writer for United Methodist News Service in Nashville, Tenn.
News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Related Articles
United Methodist bishops elected in Philippines
Judicial Council hears about violence in Philippines
Prayer event focuses on human rights in Philippines
Gunmen kill United Methodist local pastor in Philippines
Priest urges Christians to speak out against killings
United Methodist bishops launch appeal for Philippines
Resources
Philippines: Faith and Justice
Philippines: Mercy and Mission
Philippines Episcopal Areas
National Council of Churches in the Philippines
Read this article in Korean
Comments will be moderated. Please see our Comment Policy for more information.
Comment Policy |
We invite you to join the dialogue. Share your comments.
Post a comment