Diocesan Pastoral Message
December 22, 2020
Our island awaits the day when the blood from the pandemic of violence stops flowing… When our priests in the diocese end burying victims of these orchestrated acts of terrorism.
THE GROUND ZERO OF OUR COUNTRY’S UNENDING WAR
Violence has reigned in our island. The senseless killing of Guihulngan City Health Officer Dr. Mary Rose Sancelan and her husband is among the 106 cases of extrajudicial killings we have recorded so far in the Negros island under the Duterte administration.
Dr. Mary Rose Sancelan feared her death, apprehensive that the hit list of KAGUBAK would soon be realized. These were her words last year: “I felt helpless and paranoid when I go out to work. Of course we are afraid to die…”
Our people’s doctor dedicated her life to end both the COVID pandemic and the pandemic of injustice. Committed to social justice, she tirelessly and prophetically spoke against human rights violations, militarization, and the political imbalance in our locality—consistently insisting on the need to address the roots of our social crisis to achieve just peace.
Our beloved martyr, Dr. Mary Rose, took eight bullets on our behalf; and her husband, Edwin, took five. Sadly, their son, Red Emmanuel, bears all the pain of the violent demise of his parents. Together, we accompany him in his quest for justice. As your pastor, I am taking the mantle of the cause of their martyrdom.
We stress that MERELY SPEAKING about this senseless violence in our midst is NOT ENOUGH. Our collective outrage should move us to collectively act against it!
THE PANDEMIC OF INJUSTICE
Undeniably, the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights), Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other human rights agencies have more reasons to demand from the Government of the Republic of the Philippines accountability on the rampant human rights violations such as the unbridled summary killings, and the absence of the rule of law. The ICC Report, released hours before the Guihulngan killings, said: “It has also been alleged that some of these vigilante-style executions purportedly committed by private citizens or groups were planned, directed and/or coordinated by members of the PNP, and/or were actually committed by members of law enforcement who concealed their identity and took measures to make the killings appear to have instead been perpetrated by vigilantes.” (Report on Preliminary Examination Activities 2020, ¶185).
Pope Francis has been emphasizing the need for a culture of care as a path to peace in his 2021 World Day Message of Peace, saying, “Likewise urgent is the need to respect humanitarian law, especially at this time when conflicts and wars continue uninterrupted. Tragically, many regions and communities can no longer remember a time when they dwelt in security and peace. While such conflicts have many causes, the result is always the same: destruction and humanitarian crises. We need to stop and ask ourselves what has led our world to see conflict as something normal, and how our hearts can be converted and our ways of thinking changed, in order to work for true peace in solidarity and fraternity.” (Pope Francis, World Day Message of Peace 2021).
THE VACCINE OF PEACE
Peace is non-negotiable. This is beyond the tyranny of a political leader. Peace is even more valuable and should be the end-goal of the motto of the police and the military, “To serve and protect”,“Protecting the people, securing the state”.
We always embrace the goals of any form of peace and dialogue. We can never speak of peace, when the bloodbath continues. We are not Christians at all if we use violence in the name of enforced peace.
Peace is real, when we stop firing our guns, when we refuse to pull the trigger on a person’s life,
when we stop becoming enablers of injustice.
The martyrdom of Dr. Sancelan, of Edwin, the other killings before her assassination, all the blood spilled in our island, pose a challenge to you and me, to our church community of the Diocese of San Carlos. Thus, we are now raising our prophetic voice, undertaking a sustained protest action here in this city and in the Diocese to stop the killings and to end the deafening silence of our people and of our public officials.
It is sad that militarization defines our peace and order, not the security of our citizens. We call on our city to seriously work for justice among the citizens living in Guihulngan. We call upon our mayor and city officials to take to heart their utmost duty to protect the people in this city! We challenge our local government to not become a political hostage of this oppressive “killing policy.”
I am asking the police community and the military now deployed in this war-ridden small city– solve the crimes! Avoid creating violence!
Furthermore, I am asking the vigilante group, KAGUBAK, to stop terrorizing the people in Guihulngan with a list of those to be killed. End violence!
A recent case of police brutality has enraged people nationwide. This is but a symptom of gross impunity, now worn like an honor badge among some oppressive members of our police force. There are still many cases not caught by video cameras. There are thousands more families still crying for justice for their murdered parents, sons and daughters.
Among us, Jesus is here, our Prince of Peace. He came at a time when people were unaware that there was a need and hope for redemption. The time of waiting for the Messiah ended with His birth. With the Birth of the Prince of Peace, we can now hope for Justice. We now can yearn for peace. Indeed, as Christians, let it be our obligation to demand an end to violence!
Christmas must inspire and embolden us to advocate for a peaceful city, for a peaceful island and for a peaceful country—FREE FROM THE SENSELESS KILLINGS!
Let there be No More Killings this Christmas, the New Year and beyond!
Justice for Dr. Mary Rose and Edwin Sancelan!
Justice for the victims of Negros killings!
End the red-tagging!
End police brutality!
