Church people's march for justice, truth  and peace

Cavite City to National Cathedral at Taft Avenue

October 8, 2006

The mortal remains of Bishop Alberto Ramento was brought from their diocese in Cavite City to the National Cathedral in Manila on Oct. 8.  The rest of the schedule follows:

Oct. 9 - press conference, ecumenical service led by the NCCP and candle lighitng at 6 pm

Oct. 10 - tribute led by the Ecumenical Bishops Forum (EBF) and Pilgrims for Peace at 4pm

Oct. 11 - ecumenical service led by Kairos Philippines and tribute by multisectoral groups at 6 pm

Oct. 12 - People's march for justrice, truth and peace from the cathedral to Mendiola

Oct. 13 -Requiem mass at 8 AM and cremation burial

Vice-President Teofisto Guingona, BAYAN Secretary General Renato Reyes and CODAL lawyer Neri Colemares (left photo) and BAYAN-USA members with Bayan International officer Rita Baua (right photo) pay their last respects to Bishop Ramento,  a staunch  colleague in many causes, including the campaign to stop the political killings

Bishop Alberto Ramento until his death was serving as:

* Chairman of the Supreme Council of Bishops of IFI

* Member, Executive Commission of IFI

* Co-Chairman, Ecumenical Bishops Forum (EBF)

* Convenor, Pilgrims for Peace

* Initiator, Peace for Life

* Co-Chairman, Philippine Peace Center

* Founding Convenor of the Movement of Concerned Citizens for Civil

   Liberties (MCCCL)

* Member of the Presidium, Citizens Congress for Turth and

   Accountability (CCTA)

* Chairperson, Executive Board, Workers Assistance Center, Inc. 

   (Cavite)

Friends and supporters of Bishop Ramento view photos of the late bishop in his many work as bishop of the workers and peasants.

VP and Mrs. Teofisto Guingona  and friends

condole with the family of Bishop Ramento

Former Vice-President Guingona and his wife pay their last respects to the bishop and condole with the family. As far as we know, the de facto President of the Philippines has not yet visited the former head of the Philippine Independent Church.

This little girl came all the way from Cavite with her parents to participate in the caravan and march to the Cathedral

Reading the news items and looking closely at the photos of the latest victim of political killings.

He joined the caravan from their diocese in Cavite and was still in shock over the violent end of their beloved bishop.

Iglesia Filipina Independiente

OBISPADO MAXIMO

1500 Taft Avenue, Erminta, Manila, Philippines 1000

A STATEMENT OF THE IGLESIA FILIPINA INDEPENDIENTE ON THE BRUTAL KILLING OF THE MOST REVEREND ALBERTO B. RAMENTO,THE NINTH IFI OBISPO MAXIMO

"I know they are going to kill me next but never will I abandon my duty to God and my ministry to the people"
(A statement of Bishop Alberto B Ramento to his family.)


The Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) has once again made a precious offering in the continuing task of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the brutal killing of the Most Reverend Alberto B. Ramento,the 9th Obispo Maximo of the Church.

The good bishop was slain by faceless assassins who broke through the rectory where he was staying at around four o'clock in the morning of October 03, 2006 in the Parish of San Sebastian, Tarlac City. He was awakened in his sleep when the assassins had entered his room and stabbed him seven times to death. We denounced in the strongest possible terms this barbaric and dastardly act against a man of the cloth within the premises of his own church.

Initial police investigation reports point to the incident as a mere case of robbery with homicide. However, the Ramento family, the clergy and the faithful of the Diocese of Tarlac believe that the motive is much deeper than what has come out from the spot investigation. There are glaring indications that Bishop Ramento's murder was thoroughly planned and politically motivated. We believe that the brutal killing was the inevitable consequence of his principled engagement with the people and their struggle for the fullness of life.

Bishop Ramento, aside from being a well-loved pastor by his clergy and faithful, has earned the reputation as a social prophet, and an icon in the nationalist struggle of the Filipino masses with his uncompromising stand for national sovereignty and patrimony. He was a true advocate of just peace. As a matter of fact, Bishop Ramento is part of the Monitoring Group in the Peace Talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front Philippines.

He was a known figure in the ecumenical movement in and outside the country. Bishop Ramento has served as the Chairperson of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines. He was also a Co-Chairperson of the Ecumenical Bishops Forum (EBF) which is composed of bishops from the various Churches in the Philippines

Bishop Ramento, as the Chairman of the IFI Supreme Council of Bishops (SCB), has strongly condemned the state of political repression and grave situation of human rights violation in the country. He has particularly denounced the unabated extra judicial killings of militant leaders, social activists, lawyers, journalists, church people and innocent civilians under the watch of the current administration. As an outspoken critic of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, he has consistently questioned the legitimacy of her presidency, and urged her to step down from office. In the last pastoral letter he signed as SCB Chairman, Bishop Ramento has urged the faithful "to find courage and confront the darkness that is engulfing the very soul of the nation and continue to thread the path towards the establishment of a just society under a government that genuinely serves the interest and welfare of the Filipinos."

Honored as the "Bishop of the Poor Peasants and Workers", Bishop Ramento has earned the love and respect of the farm workers at Hacienda Luisita, a vast sugar plantation in Tarlac, as he rallied support to their cause and advocated for their struggle.

The people behind his death might think that they have silenced him and maimed the prophetic voice of the Church. They are mistaken. His death has become like a candle in a burning incense, sparking more fire, enflaming the hearts of the clergy and faithful of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente to remain faithful to her pro-people and pro-labor heritage. Indeed, we grieved over his death, yet we celebrate his life. They may have taken his life by opening his body with wounds - but these wounds have become the doorway from which Bishop Ramento's valiant spirit has been poured out and shared to many.

Truly, the death of Bishop Alberto B. Ramento is a great loss not only for the Iglesia Filipina Independiente but also for the ecumenical movement and peoples' organizations. The Iglesia Filipina Independiente strongly urges the authorities to immediately conduct a thorough and impartial investigation on the murder of Bishop Ramento and bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice.

We ask the prayers of the faithful for Bishop Alberto B. Ramento, a fatherly pastor, a social prophet, an uncompromising nationalist, a peacemaker, and a champion of the peoples' cause, who now joins his Creator. As we mourn the death of a beloved member of the IFI family, may we find inspiration from his life and death even as we commit to stand firmly for what he believed in and fought for. Let his death find meaning in our continuing resolve to live-out the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ upon which Bishop Ramento dedicated his life.
 

PRO DEO ET PATRIA

+ GODOFREDO J. DAVID
11th Obispo Maximo