Lanao religious call for stoppage of political killings,

repression
“Stop political killings!”

This call reverberated in the Salvatori Hall of Maria Cristina Hotel yesterday, December 9, 2007, as religious nuns, priests and lay brothers gathered for a Biblico-Theologico Reflection on Human Rights in the eve of the 59th anniversary of the International Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations.

About sixty (60) participants from the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP-Lanao), Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR-Lanao) and the Sisters Association in Mindanao (SAMIN-DIOPIM Area) listened to a human rights situationer by the renowned people’s lawyer, Atty. Beverly Selim-Musni, of KARAPATAN-Northern Mindanao.

Musni pointed out, according to KARAPATAN records, that the political killings have victimized 887 individuals since Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assumed power in 2001. Of the figure, 395 are coming from the people’s organizations and 97 are women. The killings never spared church people which included Rev. Edison Lapuz of the UCCP, and from the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, Fr. William Tadena and Obispo Maximo Alberto Ramento.

Victims of the involuntary disappearance reached 186, according to the lady lawyer.

Musni stressed that these unabated attacks were due to the Oplan Bantay Laya, which aims to destroy the suspected ‘communist fronts’ as part of GMA’s grand design to annihilate the CPP-NPA-NDF. According to the AFP powerpoint presentation ‘Knowing Thy Enemy,’ one among the so-called ‘communist fronts’ were the church institutions—Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI), United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) and the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP). RMP, PCPR and SAMIN were also included in the list.

On the other hand, Sr. Mary Francis Añover, RSM, a member of the General Council of the Religious Sisters of Mercy, described the human rights attack in the country ‘a scorpion’s whip’ in her Biblico-Theologico Reflection which lasted for 45 minutes.

Qouting 1 Kings 12: 4-14 of the Old Testament having the passage, “My father put on you a heavy yoke but I will make it heavier. My father beat you with whips but I will beat you with scorpions”, the RSM nun likened GMA to antagonistic King Rehoboam. “As if her (GMA’s) father’s deregulation policies in the past were not enough to castigate the people, that woman in Malacañang is having a heyday attacking the Filipinos with iron hand,” Sr. Añover stressed.

Br. Andres Serafin, OFM, of the Franciscans Order and coordinator of the PCPR-Lanao challenged the religious present in the activity “to open the doors of their convents for sanctuary to the victims of poltical repression.” He further asked the participants,”to speak against political killings, join mobilizations which condemn this crime, and give all-out support to the victims in every way possible.”

The challenge were accepted by the participants composed by the nuns from RSM and the Missionary Sisters of Mary, Society of St. Columban and the Religious of the Good Shepherd; priests and lay brothers from the Franciscans Order of Friar Minors (OFM), Redemptorists and Franciscan Third Order Regular (TOR); lay workers from various ministries; students and professors from the religious-based formations; and from protestant denominations of UCCP and IFI.


For reference:
Kristian Mark Urbano
Public Information Officer, Three People’s, One Against Repression
(0910)379-2860
 

Br. Andres Serafin, OFM, of the Franciscans Order

Aida Ibrahim Chair Liga ng Kabataang Moro-Lanao

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