Monday, July 17, 2006
Papal envoy hits political killings in RP
MANILA -- Papal Nuncio Archbishop Fernando Filoni on Sunday expressed alarm over the growing unresolved murders of journalists, activists, farmers, and church leaders.
Speaking before members of the Society of the Catholic Social Scientists and School of Economics Units of the University of Asia and the Pacific (UAP), Filoni said the political killings are disturbing especially as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo recently signed into law the bill abolishing capital punishment.
"I am surprised to see that in the Philippines there is still a high incidence of moral and political violence against those who professed a different political ideology, like journalists," he said.
He said political killings pose as a stumbling block to the progress of a nation and its people.
Filoni said President Arroyo's decision to abolish the death penalty was laudable, but the positive image of this act was damaged by the spate of killings.
He said the abolition of the death penalty displays a "profound sense of humanity" and a "proactive (stand) and more elevated form of civility," but the series of killings was contradicting what the government wanted to project to the world.
"Whether it is political and religious point of view, it will truly be a contradiction if, on the one hand, we practically abolished death penalty and yet, on the other hand, we are not respecting or implementing the (protected) rights of the human race," Filoni added.
Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said they are also disturbed by rash of killings in the country.
"We join the outcry of groups that have denounced the increasing number of extra-judicial killings of journalists and social activists suspected as sympathizers of insurgents allegedly by some ultra-rightist elements in the military," Lagdameo said.
He said the different dioceses have been receiving letters and list of the people who have been victims of political killings. "We cannot close our eyes to the great number of extra-judicial killings that sometimes do not come to light in the newspapers but are known to us in our dioceses," he added. (MSN/Sunnex)
(July 17, 2006 issue)
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