Bishops’ air concern over killings and red-tagging
MANILA – The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines expressed concern over the recent killings that took place in Western Visayas last December 30,2020 which had shades of red-tagging.
CBCP Vice President and Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio s. David said a group of bishops from Western Visayas issued a statement about the violence that took place in Calinog, Iloilo and Tapaz, Capiz which left nine people dead.
Earlier, Bombo Radyo Iloilo reported there were no gunpower residue on the remains of the farmers from Barangay Lahug, Tapaz, Capiz, based on the paraffin tests conducted Western Visayas Regional Crime Laboratory under one Police Col. Enrique Ancheta
“We expressed our solidarity with our brother bishops and the statement has been supported by the CBCP’s Episcopal Commission on Social Action, Justice and Peace,” Bishop David said.
He described the killing and red-tagging as “worrisome.”
“We came up with a statement of the Anti-Terror Law (earlier) because we fear about the exaggerated response to the move to address terrorism that may compromise the human rights of the people,” Bishop David explained.
He added they heard of Catholic universities called breeding ground of so-called Communists and described such as “ridiculous.”
Bishop David further said the Catholic universities came up with a collective statement questioning the kind of red tagging.
“There is reason for people to be afraid because if it gets to be a trend, we are reminded of the days when we were under authoritarian rule, but we still are under a democracy where it is healthy to question policies like this,” he concluded. (Melo M. Acuña)
CBCP Vice President and Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio S. David. (Screen grab from CBCP Press Conference Thursday morning/Melo M. Acuna)