Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. (Is 10:1-2)
At this last Sona of President Rodrigo Duterte, we, the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, condemn the oppressive decrees implemented by the Duterte regime including the establishment of the NTF-ELCAC and the passing of the Anti-Terrorism Law that have led to the increased number of extra judicial killings, arbitrary arrests and harassments of people we work closely with, the peasants, fisherfolk and indigenous people.
We say woe to this regime and hold it responsible for the brutal massacre of the 9 Tumandok in Panay, leaving grieving widows and traumatized children, and the leaders in the March bloody Sunday raid, they who dared to stand for their rights to their ancestral land and the right to a life with dignity of rural communities.
We say woe to this regime for the constant red-tagging of peasant and indigenous leaders, often leading to extrajudicial killings or arbitrary arrest based on trumped up charges. We say woe to the regime for its use of dubious search warrants and to the justices who are complicit in this oppression particularly of the rural poor. We say woe to the regime for its attacks on the indigenous peoples, including the Lumads and the forced closure of their schools. We condemn the unfounded cases hurled to harass and unjust imprisonment of some of our members who generously give their time to help educate the Lumad children to enable them to live a dignified life, appreciating their own culture and traditions.
We say woe for the use of the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act to freeze our funds, attempting to stifle our service to the rural poor. Likewise, we condemn the freezing of the funds of the UCCP in Haran, again because the church has given shelter and solace to the displaced Lumads, empowering them to demand their right to peace and security in their ancestral lands. We stand with all the peoples organisations, including peasant women, whose funds had been frozen to prevent their organizing, welfare and development work.
We will not be silenced as this Government becomes more and more oppressive, as the poor are made prey to a development aggression which only benefits the rich including those who sit in positions of authority in the country.
At this SONA, we lend our voices to all those calling for an end to Duterte’s tyranny. We demand justice, strong in the assurance that “the wicked will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb…For the Lord loves justice and will never forsake his faithful ones” (Ps 37: 1, 28)
RMP Leadership Team
