UCCP Pastor shot dead in Philippines

by Global Ministries | published on Oct 10, 2014

United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) Pastor shot dead in the town of Abuyog, Leyte, Eastern Visayas, Philippines

On January 23, 2008 Wednesday 7:00 in the morning, when Pastor Felomino Catambis (60 years old) was going to Abuyog, Leyte from Mahaplag, Leyte where his residence is located, he was riding on his motorcycle. Without his knowledge two men riding also a motorcycle overtook him and shot him with a 9mm automatic assault rifle in his chest causing his death.

United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) Pastor shot dead in the town of Abuyog, Leyte, Eastern Visayas, Philippines

In the local Hospital of Abuyog where he was brought and initially examined his dead body, there were nine bullets recovered in his body a bullet of 9mm automatic assault rifle as described by the local NBI.

Pastor Catambis entered into the Ministry in 1986 as Licenciate and continued to study under the TEE Program of Union Theological Seminary until he graduated as Bachelor of Ministry in the year 2002.

He was ordained in the year 2003 during our Conference Annual Session.

Pastor Catambis has 6 Children, 3 from his first wife and another 3 children from his second because he remarried after the death of his first wife.

Case: Assassination
Victim/s: Filomino Catambis

60 years old, married with 6 children
Male
A resident of Abuyog, Leyte
Pastor, United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) in the town of Mahaplag, Leyte

Place of Incident: Sitio Catugan, Brgy. Balucawe, Abuyog, Leyte
Date of Incident: 23 January 2008, around 7:00 in the morning
Alleged Perpetrators: two men on board a motorcycle believed to be military agents

Account of Incident:

At around 7:00 in the morning of 23 January 2008, Pastor Filomino Catambis was on his way home to the town of Abuyog, Leyte on board his motorcycle from his chapel in Mahaplag. As he was traveling along the road in Sitio Catugan in Brgy. Balucawe, two men on board a motorcycle overtook him and shot him several times with a 9mm pistol. Police recovered 9 empty shells at the crime scene. He was brought to a local hospital in the area but was pronounced dead-on-arrival. He sustained nine gunshot wounds.

Filomino was an ordained pastor of the Northeastern Leyte Conference (NELCON) of the UCCP.

UCCP is a church that envisioned a responsible, empowered, self-reliant and caring community of Christian believers committed to the pursuit of a transformed church and society towards an abundant and meaningful life for all. It aims to enrich the lifework of the communities where the local churches are located and to deepen the impact of its collective response to societal and national issues.

Pastor Filomino Catambis was the second pastor of the NELCON killed by alleged military agents. On 13 May 2005, Rev. Edison Lapuz, the Conference Minister of NELCON was shot to death in public by two men near his residence in Brgy. Crossing, San Isidro, Leyte.

UCCP is set to conduct a fact finding mission in Leyte in the first week of February.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Send letters, emails or fax messages calling for:

The immediate formation of an independent fact-finding and investigation team composed of representatives from human rights groups, the Church, local government, and the Commission on Human Rights that will look into the assassination of Pastor Filomino Catambis.
The arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of the crime/s of assassination.
The immediate protection and proper indemnification of the victim/s; and
The Philippine Government to be reminded that it is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and that it is also a party to all the major Human Rights instruments, thus it is bound to observe all of these instruments’ provisions.

You may send your communications to:

H.E. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
President of the Republic
Malacanang Palace,
JP Laurel St., San Miguel
Manila Philippines
E-mail:

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Jesus D. Dureza
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process
*Office of the Peace Process
7th Floor Agustin Building I
Emerald Avenue
Pasig City 1605

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Department of National Defense
Room 301 DND Building, Camp Emilio Aguinaldo,
E. de los Santos Avenue
Quezon City

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Hon. Raul M. Gonzalez
Secretary, Department of Justice
Padre Faura St., Manila
Email

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Hon. Purificacion Valera Quisumbing
Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights
SAAC Bldg., UP Complex
Commonwealth Avenue
Diliman, Quezon City
Philippines
Email:

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Please send us a copy of your email/mail/fax to the said government official to our address below.

URGENT ACTION Prepared by:

KARAPATAN (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights)-National Office 1 Maaralin cor Matatag St., Brgy. Central, Diliman, Quezon City 1100 PHILIPPINES

Emails:

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Website: http://www.karapatan.org/