HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

They Also Shoot Priests
Church-led Funeral Marchers Blame President for Killings

Rev. Edison Lapuz, victim of violence perpetrated allegedly by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s armed forces, “defended the rights of the exploited and dispossessed with steadfast conviction because he understood this to be his calling as a faithful servant of Jesus Christ,” a statement read.

By Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat

Pastor Edison Lapuz

Church leaders and members of various religious congregations marched to the Don Chino Roces Bridge (formerly Mendiola) in Manila May 19 to dramatize their protest over the brutal killings of two priests and other human rights activists in the past several weeks. The funeral march was led by leaders and members of the Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR), United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI), United Methodist Church (UMC) and member churches of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) including members of Catholic congregations.

March leaders said their protest action was to bring to Malacañang’s (presidential palace) doorsteps the collective frustration and outrage of church people over the brutal killings of Rev. Edison Lapuz, Fr. William Tadena, Joel Baclao and other human rights activists who simply lived out the social ministries of the churches.

Church groups brought effigies of coffins of Lapuz, Malinao and other slain activists at the foot of Roces bridge to publicly denounce the “unprecedented wave of killings of peasant and union leaders, human rights lawyers, church workers and journalists under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. On May 12, around 6:30 p.m., Lapuz was shot by two unidentified assassins, hitting him on the left temple and stomach. His companion, Alfredo Malinao, a peasant leader and barangay captain, was shot on the chest, near his heart. The killing took place in San Isiddro, Leyte, central Philippines. Palparan Leyte and Samar are both in Eastern Visayas which is under the military command of Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan. Palparan, who used to hold the military command in Oriental Mindoro where 41 activists were slain in three years, assumed his new post last February. He has vowed to end all anti-government rallies and militants within six months.

Church groups rally at the Don Chino Roces Bridge last May 19 to protest the killing of Lapuz Photo by Arkibong Bayan

Lapuz was a founding member of the Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPCR)-Eastern Visayas. He also served as chairperson of Karapatan, a human rights alliance, and Bayan Muna coordinator for Leyte and Samar.

“ We deeply mourn his death, and we are sad that a culture of impunity is instilled among soldiers and armed agents of the state who are trained and instructed to silence [kill] activists like Rev. Lapuz in order to bring ‘peace’ in cities and provinces where rallies against government corruption and violence are held. We are angry for this desecration of human lives who served the exploited, we say enough of persecution of activists,” the PCPR said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Bishop Elmer Bolocon, UCCP General Secretary said that as a conference minister, Rev. Lapuz was pastorally responsible for expressing the Church’s alarm and concern over the recent shooting of one UCCP member and the killing of another in his conference.

“Rev. Lapuz unflinchingly maintained his firm commitment to stand for justice and righteousness; he set aside the death threats he was receiving as an attendant risk to the prophetic call, ” Bishop Bolocon said.

In a separate statement, pastors and faculty from the Divinity School of Silliman University in Negros Oriental recalled that, as a young seminarian, Lapuz’s contagious ideas, and principled character earned him the respect of students and faculty alike.

“Rev. Lapuz defended the rights of the exploited and dispossessed with steadfast conviction because he understood this to be his calling as a faithful servant of Jesus Christ. His death confirms the rising repression that has been unleashed to silence defenders of justice for the exploited and weak,” the Silliman statement read.

Fr. Tadena, on the other hand, was killed in Tarlac early this year. All killings of Church leaders were blamed on suspected military hitmen. NORDIS / Bulatlat