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Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Iglesia clergy voice alarm over killing
By Lizanilla J. Amarga
CAGAYAN DE ORO -- After the recent political killing of Iglesia Filipina Independente (IFI) Bishop Alberto Ramento, another priest was slain in Surigao del Sur Sunday while IFI priest Antonio Ablon in Cagayan de Oro City has been receiving death threats from alleged "military agents" since Saturday.
There is also a reported increase in the number of IFI priests and bishops all over the country who either received information that they are in the order of battle or have been harassed by death threats.
These Church leaders are those who are at the forefront of human rights groups, anti-corruption, anti-Charter change, and other people's campaigns against the policies of the Arroyo government.
They include Fr. Terry Revollido, PCPR and Bayan leader and faculty member of the Aglipayan seminary in Pangasinan; Fr. Romeo Tagud, PCPR and Bayan Negros who was harassed by motorcycle-riding armed men; Fr. Marco Sulayao of PCPR and Bayan Panay whose convent was invaded by suspected military agents; and Fr. Sonny Teleron, PCPR and Bayan in Western Mindanao.
ABS-CBN meanwhile reported that three suspects Sunday stabbed and shot dead 53-year-old Aglipayan priest Dionisio Gingging in Barangay Bajao, Tago, Surigao del Sur.
But IFI-Cagayan de Oro Bishop Felixberto Calang and Ablon said they could not as yet find Gingging's name in their list of IFI priests as of Monday.
They however said that Gingging might be those coming from IFI splinter groups.
"But we sympathize still with his fate. Let justice be served as we also shout for justice to all the victims of extrajudicial killings during Arroyo's regime," Ablon told Sun.Star.
The slaying of Gingging came just a week after the murder of Bishop Ramento, chairman of the IFI Supreme Council of Bishops.
Bishop Ramento was found stabbed to death inside his church in Tarlac City. Police later arrested four suspects for the murder.
Ablon received the following text message last October 6 at 4:45 p.m. "Fr. Ablon, patay gani ang supreme bishop ikaw pa kaha i sample ka namo dinhi sa CDO (Fr. Ablon, even the supreme bishop was killed, we will make you an example here in Cagayan de Oro)."
The message that came from cell phone number 09203546270 is said to be an "unmistakably clear in warning that Fr. Ablon could be the next victim of extrajudicial killing."
Another text message from the same cell phone number was also received at around 7:53 a.m. it reads: "Hello Fr. gud a.m. karon pa me ka bahada gikan San Fernando nia na me Valencia City lingaw au me sa imong mga giway Fr. sa ilang mga message magsakay ta ugma para sa Damulog kay meeting man ninyo sa martes. Fr. di me mga tanga hawanan pa namo ang dalan para walay sagabal."
Suspicions
Like Bishop Ramento, Ablon is an outspoken critic of the Arroyo government and has been receiving death threats like other activist priests and pastors.
Ablon is a National Council Member of the Promotion of Church People's Response (PCPR) and current Secretary General of the human rights group Karapatan in the region.
Karapatan lawyer Beverly Musni and PCPR general secretary Amie Dural expressed alarm over this latest death threats against Ablon.
Musni who has also reported how she has been under surveillance by those who want to silence her and those responsible for the recent ransacking of their Karapatan office sent out an alert text message to several media entities as early as last Saturday.
Both Musni and Dural voiced strong suspicions that the source of these death threat text messages could only be the military agents "who are dutiful in their mission to intimidate, suppress and brutally silence the voices of dissent that have exposed the fraud, corruption and human rights abuses of the Arroyo administration."
"We denounce this latest harassment against Ablon. This is a serious threat that further confirms the extent of mission orders against government critics," Dural said.
Musni for her part said, "By killing an activist bishop and 22 other priests, pastors and lay church members, the record of human rights violations of the Arroyo government is becoming more and more unparalleled in brutality."
Both also believe that police and other Malacañang agencies will not succeed in "framing up common robbers" as the culprits behind Bishop Ramento's killing.
"We warn the Arroyo government that further attacks on activist bishops, priests and pastors will certainly accelerate its downfall as more and more people will be awakened to join the people's outrage against its serious crimes against the whole nation," Dural said. (Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro/Sunnex)
(October 10, 2006 issue)
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