Commentary: Murder is uncontrolled in
Philippines
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The Rev. Larry Hollon |
Jan. 9, 2006
Editor’s note: The Rev. Larry Hollon, top staff executive of United Methodist
Communications, was part of a denominational delegation on human rights that
visited the Philippines Jan. 3-7 to investigate the killings of clergy, laity
and human rights workers.
A UMNS Commentary
By the Rev. Larry Hollon*
MANILA — After hearing one story and then another of murder and mayhem, the mind
shuts down. It can take in no more.
The stories are told with simplicity, and those telling them are disarmingly
unassuming. A mother speaks of a son who wanted to make the world a better
place; a spouse tells of a hard-working father whose “crime” was seeking better
wages; a father recalls a daughter teaching poor women simple, legal rights
under law; a sister tells of her brother clergyperson who taught people they are
valuable in the embrace of God. Each has been gunned down in circumstances more
than merely coincidental.
The victims are always clergy or laity working with the poor, human rights
educators teaching people their legal rights, workers pressing for a living
wage, women teaching poor women their rights, indigenous people protesting the
exploitation of native lands.
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A UMNS photo by the Rev. Larry Hollon
Delegation
members Bishop John Hopkins and Kristina Gonzalez are interviewed by a
Manila Times reporter at a Jan. 6 news conference.
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John Hopkins and Kristina Gonzalez, members of a United Methodist
delegation on human rights to the Philippines, are interviewed by a
Manila Times reporter at a Jan. 6 news conference. The delegation
visited the Philippines Jan. 3-7 to learn about and call attention to
the killings of clergy, laity and other people who work with the poor.
At the news conference, the delegation members called on the government
to take a more aggressive role in stopping the killings. A UMNS photo by
the Rev. Larry Hollon. Photo #06012. Accompanies UMNS story #013.
1/9/06 |
Sometimes murder is carried out by armed, masked men riding motorcycles. They
ambush their victims and speed off, mostly at night. However, one assassination
of a pastor was carried out in full daylight, around noon, on the street in
front of his house.
Sometimes it’s done by persons whom the victims contend are in the military. One
father was an eyewitness to the murder of five fisher folk, including his
18-year-old son, by a military squadron from the Armed Forces of the
Philippines. Their crime was living and working in an area where terrorists have
operated, but they were not terrorists. They were poor, working people.
We met with high-level military commanders at the national military
headquarters, and they deny these charges.
There is a pattern to many of the executions. People told us military personnel
appear in a village, ask for a particular individual and that individual
disappears. Sometimes the body is found, sometimes not.
False charges are made against a person publicly. A poster might be displayed
saying the person is a wanted terrorist, subversive or communist. The individual
receives a death threat in the form of a note slipped under the door, or
receives a text message or a telephone call. One priest who works with poor folk
got a written note accompanied with several bullets placed in the offering plate
of his church during worship on a Sunday morning.
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A UMNS photo by the Rev. Larry Hollon
Bishop John Hopkins speaks at a Jan. 6 news conference in Manila, calling attention to the killings of church workers.
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| Bishop
John Hopkins speaks at a Jan. 6 news conference in Manila, calling on
the Philippines government to take a more aggressive role to stop the
killings of people who work with the poor. Hopkins led a United
Methodist delegation on human rights that visited the country Jan. 3-7. A
UMNS photo by the Rev. Larry Hollon. Photo #06013. Accompanies UMNS
story #013. 1/9/06 |
Law and order are breaking down in parts of the Philippines. The government, if
not complicit in these executions, has not shown commitment to investigate the
murders and bring perpetrators to justice. Neither has the administration of
President Gloria Magapagal-Arroyo halted the labeling of church workers and
activists as enemies of the state. This has led to murder with impunity.
Even a bishop of the church has been told he is listed as a subversive. This is
like painting a target on a person’s back. It must be stopped. The president
must intercede to prevent legitimate humanitarian and religious work among the
poor of this country from being identified as disloyal and unsavory.
The fabric of Philippine society depends upon the protection of basic human
rights, due process and rule of law. At the present time, the fabric is being
torn dangerously. Good, innocent people are at risk. Lives have been lost, and
tragedy has been visited upon people who already live at great disadvantage and
have limited options because of poverty.
A healthy, democratic Philippines is at risk today. President Arroyo must
exercise the leadership necessary to preserve the rights that will make the
country strong and secure. She must stop the killing.
*This commentary was adapted from a posting at “Perspectives,” the Rev. Larry Hollon’s personal Weblog.
News media contact: Tim Tanton, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.
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Resources
Global Connections: The Philippines
Country profile: The Philippines
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