BISHOPS of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) in Mindanao urged President Rodrigo Duterte to put an end to attacks against the IFI church and its lay workers, peasant and labor leaders, lumad communities, human rights defenders, lawyers and the media.
In an open letter, the IFI bishops who have gathered in Cagayan de Oro City for a two-day conferential meeting with the Obispo Maximo have appealed to the President to heed the call of the people.
“Do not remain persuaded by your security advisers to pursue the path of war against your own people. Their militaristic approach continued from administrations past has only emboldened mercenaries from military and police and entrenched normalcy of state violence, wanton disregard of people’s rights and human dignity and snuffed the many lives of your people. It has killed hundreds of your best citizens who take a collective role of nation building by struggling towards national industrialization and genuine land reform,” the bishops said.
The group recalls how church workers, lumad and media people, teachers and people's lawyers are being attacked through red tagging, vilification, surveillance, harassment, intimidation, and worse, killings in the last six months.
Bishops have been troubled by said attacks against people of faith who by their mandate to fulfill the gospel of truth, life and salvation, are now facing the brunt of state forces.
Also, they strongly condemn the recent attack last February 22 where leaflets or a supposed “hit list” bearing names of bishops, human rights lawyers and rights advocates and media personality.
“In your days as mayor of Davao City and to this very day as President of this Republic, you have personally known our church with the two bishops among our leaders taking exemplary role in peace talks and in public witness to attain the aspirations of the ordinary Filipinos especially the peasants, workers and indigenous peoples,” the group said.
“This baseless and malicious accusation strongly believed to be orchestrated by state forces has openly identified these people as members of the CPP-NPA-NDFP (Communist Party of the Philippines- New People’s Army- National Democratic Front of the Philippines). We as episcopal leaders of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente in Mindanao are very much alarmed that wanton extra judicial killings may fall on our church leaders. God forbid,” they added.
They also said these attacks perpetuate under the blanket of martial law in the island.
The IFI leaders also worried on the illegal arrest and detention, trump-up charges and forced NPA surenderees of peasants and lumad “who are partners of our church in our community work and mission are conveniently presented to the public as prima facie evidence of the IFI's and bishops' affiliation to the rebel group.”
They said there are active church lay leaders who now fear for their lives and security and are constantly under surveillance and are possible subject to warrantless arrest.
“Not a single act of due and proper investigation or any action whatsoever from state forces leads to a resolution to these violations,” the group said.
“Mr. President, we are not your enemy. In fact we tend to believe that you were one with us in pushing the cause and struggle of the less fortunate members of our society. We witnessed and heard you several times how you wished to address and end the systemic problem of social injustice besetting our land due to resource and capital monopoly, corruption and inept bureaucracy and globalization policies that aggravated the situations of the majority of Filipinos especially the poor and downtrodden among us,” the letter said.
“We still believe Mr. President that you have a heart for your people, and we ask that it may be a heart at its right place that truly beats for the interest and wellbeing of our people especially the poor, the defenseless, and the vulnerable. We continue to pray for you, Mr. President, and your government, persistently invoking God’s help that through your leadership your government ‘may make wise and just decisions, and promote liberty, peace and welfare of God’s people,’” it added.