TWELVE CLERGY AND LAY MEMBERS KILLED UNDER ARROYO

AN URGENT APPEAL TO STOP POLITICAL KILLINGS AND REPRESSION

TWELVE CLERGY AND LAY MEMBERS KILLED UNDER ARROYO
As of March 2006

Common Denominator: They were human rights activists, members of progressive political parties and vocal critics of logging, mining, militarization and other destructive projects in the various provinces.

5 February 2004 – Killing of Abe Sungit, leader of indigenous people in Palawan, member of United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) – IDPIP (Indigenous People’s Program), Karapatan-Palawan and PAGSAMBATAN.

28 April 2004 – Killing of Isaias Manano, Member of the UCCP–Christian Youth Fellowship (CYF) and Anakpawis Party-list Mindoro.

9 September 2004 – Abduction of Mabini Wandale, United Methodist Church (UMC) lay worker in Mindoro Occidental – still missing.

10 November 2004 – Killing of Joel Baclao, member of UCCP/ coordinator of the Relief and Rehabilitation work of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), National Council Member of the Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR) in Bicol.

16 November 2004 – Massacre of 7 workers and supporters of Hacienda Luisita strike, including Juancho Sanchez, member of UCCP-CYF Tarlac.

23 November 2004 – Killing of Vicente Olea, 71-year old UCCP member in Palawan.

18 February 2005 – Attempted killing of Fr. Allan Caparro and wife Aileen; Fr. Allan is a member of Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) and PCPR Northern Samar.

* March 2005 – Report regarding AFP inclusion of church organizations as ‘enemies of the state.’

13 March 2005 – Killing of Fr. William Tadena, member of IFI and PCPR in Tarlac; frustrated killing of 3 companions - Carlos Barsolazo, Charlie Gabriel and Ervina Domingo (church workers). Fr. Tadena was an active supporter of the Hacienda Luisita workers.

1 April 2005 – Attempted killing of Fr. Mario Quince, IFI Tarlac. Fr. Quince is also an active supporter of the Hacienda Luisita workers.

7 April 2005– Violent dispersal of peaceful assembly demanding ‘Stop the Killings!’ in front of Malate Church. Victims of serious physical injuries and illegal arrest include Fr. Allan Arcebuche, OFM priest and PCPR Chairperson, Br. Sam, OFM, Br. Nonoy Zaragosa, OCarm and Edwin Egar of NCCP- Program on Faith, Witness and Service.

21 April 2005 - Harassment/Grave Threat against Fr. Romeo G. Tagud, IFI Parish Priest in Bago, Bacolod City.

May 2005 – Killing of Alfredo Davis, UCCP Samar.

May 2005 - Military filed rebellion charges vs Sr. Mary John Dumaog, a Good Shepherd sister working among lumad community in San Luis, Agusan del Sur. This was part of a sustained harassment against Sr. John and the lumad community who are opposed to logging, mining and military abuses in their area.

12 May 2005 – Killing of UCCP Conference Minister Edison Lapuz, member of PCPR, Karapatan and Bayan Muna.

20 August 2005 –Rev. Raul Domingo, member of UCCP and Kapatirang Simbahan para sa Bayan (Kasimbayan) and Secretary General of Karapatan in Palawan was shot and seriously wounded. On September 4, Rev. Domingo died at the hospital.

30 October 2005, between 8:30 am – 10:00 am – Death threats against Fr. Rolando de Leon, a 50-year old Roman Catholic priest of the Diocese of Malolos, Parish Priest of San Andres Apostol, Norzagaray, Bulacan; Spokesperson of the Alyansa ng Mamamayan para sa Pantaong Karapatan and Spokesperson of Bulacan Ecumenical Association of Churchpeople Offing Nationalism (BEACON), a PCPR provincial chapter. On October 30, 2005, between 8:30 am – 10:00 am, after Fr. De Leon’s regular mass, the parish workers were sorting out collection bags and found four envelopes: three of which contained bullets and each of the four envelopes contained the death threat: Isang babala para sa’yo: Ikaw na ang susunod! (A warning for you: You’re next!)

October – December 2005 – Violent dispersal and illegal arrest of church people and multi-sectoral groups with Malacañang’s Calibrated Preemptive Response (CPR). Bro. Tony Bayod, MSC was among those illegally arrested at the October 4 “Walk for Democracy” rally towards Mendiola.

29 November 2005 – Killing of Jose ‘Pepe’ Manegdeg III, member of Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP), Bayan Muna coordinator and former volunteer of the NCCP Ecology Program.

6 December 2005 – Killing of Junico Halem, member of UCCP and Bayan Muna municipal coordinator in Calaran, Misamis Occidental.

24 January 2006 – Killing of Mateo Morales, a dedicated indigenous people’s rights advocate and co-worker of the Religious of the Good Shepherd Sisters’ Tribal Filipino Ministry (RGS-TFM) in Agusan del Sur. Military harassment and grave threats against other members of the RGS-TFM and its partner communities continue to this day.

9 March 2006 – At 3:00 am, masked armed men attempted to forcibly enter the parochial house of Fr. Marco Sulayao, priest of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI); Bayan leader and former PCPR National Council member.

March 2006 – Rev. Sonny Saranilla, District Superintendent of the United Methodist Church in Palawan received death threats through text messages. Rev. Saranilla, like Rev. Remigio Equila, UMC District Superintendent in Nueva Ecija, are reportedly in the military’s order of battle.