STATEMENT OF CONDEMNATION OF THE KILLING OF BISHOP ALBERTO RAMENTO Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. (John 10: 1-2) We are saddened of the news that came to our attention today, October 03, 2006 that a shepherd of the people Bishop Alberto Ramento of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) was murdered in his convent in Tarlac City , Philippines . He was found dead with seven stab wounds. The Tarlac City police said Bishop Alberto Ramento, 69, was killed by two assailants who entered through a door on the second floor of the IFI convent at about 4 a.m. this Tuesday morning. They claimed that the bishop¡¯s murder is a case of robbery and with no signs of political motivation. But we think differently and analyze Bishop Alberto Ramento¡¯s death in the context of his wholehearted and unconditional love and service to the people victimized by the powers-that-be in the Philippines , particularly his flock in Tarlac City . Persons in their sane mind would think several times before they would rob, maim and kill a religious person like a bishop. The IFI is church of the poor and Bishop Ramento is man of Peace. If robbery is the purpose of the assailant, they would then have first entered bigger commercial establishments proliferating in Tarlac City, rather than the convent "His church was sandwiched between a fotocopier shop and a fastfood restaurant. What will robbers get from his convent?" A shepherd is not a stranger to his own people. The shepherd has closer relationship with his sheep. A shepherd could summon his own sheep through his call, and thus separate out his own sheep. A stranger could try to emulate the call, but it was difficult to fool the sheep, as they knew their master's voice. We strongly condemn the killing of Bishop Alberto Ramento of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente. By the nature of his involvement and advocacy¡¦ serving the poor, man of peace, activist advocate for peace and staunch critic of the Arroyo government, and has always mentioned that he has been receiving death threats in connection with his advocacy. we believe his death was an extra-judicial killing perpetrated by the death-squads of the Arroyo regime. We know that Bishop Ramento was in the key leadership position both in the IFI and the ecumenical organization. He was a former Supreme Bishop the IFI, the co-chairperson, of Ecumenical Bishops Forum (EBF). He was also the chairperson of the Supreme Council of Bishops of the IFI as well as a convenor of the Pilgrims for Peace. He was also very supportive of the striking workers of Hacienda Luisita. Some of the members of the World Council of Churches and Christian Conference of Asia delegation met him last year when some of them went to Central Luzon to visit the Hacienda Luisita workers. He is a steadfast peace and human rights advocate and has always mentioned that he has been receiving death threats in connection with his advocacy. Thus, we demand Mrs Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to give justice to Bishop Alberto Ramento, a shepherd of the people. We would like to warn the Arroyo government that if more church leaders are killed, more and more people will rise up against it to challenge its legitimacy to govern and seek justice for all the lives of those who were slain by the security officers. The prophetic legacy of Bishop Alberto Ramento lives on! JUSTICE TO BISHOP ALBERTO RAMENTO! JUSTICE TO ALL THE VICTIMS OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL KILLINGS! STOP EXTRA-JUDICIAL KILLINGS IN THE PHILIPPINES ! ----------------------------------------- KASAMMAKO South Korea Alliance of Filipino Migrants' Organizations in Korea