Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan celebrates Mass at the Philippine Conference on New Evangelization at the University of Sto. Tomas in Manila, July 19, 2018. ROY LAGARDE
By Roy Lagarde
July 19, 2018
Manila, Philippines
A Catholic bishop has condemned the murder of a drug war widow who was leading a support group for families of victims of extrajudicial killings.
Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan said Jennifer Taborada, 27 and a mother of two young children, was gunned down by masked killers in Caloocan City at around 8pm on Wednesday.
As shepherd of a diocese that has become a “killing field”, the bishop said he is saddened that he cannot protect his flock from the “wolves”.
“And so today in utter shame and frustration I declare I have not been a good shepherd to my flock,” David lamented in his homily during a Mass for the Philippine Conference on New Evangelization in Manila on Thursday.
“The wolves, they have been prowling the streets and alleys of Caloocan, Malabon, and Navotas for almost two years now! They have killed hundreds already, and I am unable to protect them with my life.”
“I will bow in shame if the Good Shepherd will denounce me as a mere hireling who remains very safe and very secure, who can get a good night’s sleep in his warm bed while his sheep are being slaughtered. And this is what i was saying in tears to myself last night,” he said.
Citing a report from his informant who was at the crime scene, the prelate said what’s appalling was the killers were not even rushing and just took their “sweet time”.
He claimed that the police seemed to be alerted about presence of the killers “because they are not supposed to meddle”.
“If the police wanted to pursue them, they could have, because they stayed for more than three hours,” David said.
After the killing of Taborada, he said that the killers just moved a few blocks and killed Alvin Teng, 36, at around 11:30pm.
He recalled that Taborada was one of the widows who applied for a scholarship for her kids just a few months ago.
“At that time I remember how she narrated her husband’s death, how Ryan was mutilated by the killers. He had to be abducted and tortured first. They gouged his eyes and cut off his private parts,” added David.
“Now her two little children aged five and seven, named Princess and Prince, are complete orphans,” he also said.
