An update on the killings in the Philippines from Cally Rogers-Witte

by Global Ministries | published on Oct 10, 2014

You may remember that in May 2006 I was the keynote speaker for the Quadrennial General Assembly of the UCCP (United Church of Christ in the Philippines, which was started in the late 1940’s and includes Congregational, Disciples, Presbyterian, and some others). That invitation grew out of the efforts between the UCC Southwest Conference and the Southern Mindanao District Conference (SMDC) to create a vital global partnership.

In the last couple of years when I was in the Southwest Conference, the then (and now) conference minister in that district conference and I became very good friends, simply over email and the phone. So it was a joy to meet him in person in Davao, Mindanao last May and to keep up the friendship since then. The other reason I was invited was that I had struck up a friendship with the then General Secretary of the UCCP, Rev. Elmer Bolocon, whom I had met at the Zimbabwe WCC Assembly when we both worshipped in the same local church on a Sunday morning and we had corresponded (at least via Christmas cards) ever since. Relationships do matter!

Wilmar Bongado, the SMDC conference minister, called me early last week with the sad news of the assassination of yet another UCCP church leader (16 UCCP clergy and lay leaders have now been murdered in the past six years – along with other religious leaders and many journalists, community development workers, folks who are working to organize the poorest of the poor for a better life and justice). This was a member of one of the churches of the district conference he serves – he was so distressed, of course.

This past weekend at Ecumenical Advocacy Days in Washington D.C., I was with Bishop Pascua (the new General Secretary of the UCCP – elected while Xiaoling and I were at the meeting last May – – and, by the way, a seminary classmate of Vijay!) I invited him to speak at the UCC-Disciples luncheon – – and then I accompanied him on Monday to visits to offices of Senators and Representatives to ask that the Congress press the Philippines government for full and complete investigations into the 836 murders in the past 6 years and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. The U.S. gives the Philippines more military aid than any other country in Asia – – the Congress is supposed to be sure that our military aid (training, weapons, etc.) is not tied in any way to such human rights abuses. Bishop Pascua is also testifying at the Congressional hearing this afternoon (Wed. March 14) in D.C., organized by the office of Senator Barbara Boxer.

When I was in the Philippines last May I met with several family members of UCCP persons who had been assassinated – – notably the young widow of Rev. Edison Lapuz, who was the Conference Minister of the eastern Leyte conference. She told me about how he had presided over the funeral of a UCCP member who had been assassinated (who was the son of one of the chief lay leaders in the churches in that area). The following week Rev. Lapuz and his family (including children) were in their back yard with a neighbor when two men rode up on motorcycles, with helmets and face masks, I believe, and shot Rev. Lapuz pointblank – and then drove away. (They had removed the license plates on the motorcycles). This is the usual way these assassinations happen. Sometimes there are witnesses and less often they are able to identity the attackers but are often too frightened to testify to their identity.

Just in recent weeks a report by an official U.N. “rapporteur” implicates the military in many of these killings, as does a report by the Mello Commission which had been appointed by the President of the Philippines to look into this. (I understand that when the Mello Commission pointed fingers at the military, the Philippines government tried to suppress the report but was unable to do so because of the public outcry.) Even the Heritage Foundation says that the Philippines is the most dangerous country for journalists in terms of the numbers of assassinations!

Several persons who have spent time in the Philippines over the past ten years in global partnerships (or some who served as Presbyterian young adult volunteer interns) told me this past weekend at Ecumenical Advocacy Days that there is a dramatic change in the spirit of the people in the churches – – in the early 2000’s people were hopeful about the future, very pro-American, etc….. Now they are very fearful, highly anxious, worried for safety for themselves and friends working to help the poor speak up for justice, etc. It’s a dramatically different atmosphere. And, a real disappointment and distrust of the U.S. now – – believing the US could pressure their government not to allow these assassinations and disappearances of people who are NOT armed, NOT involved in armed struggle, definitely NOT terrorists, etc. Their only crime is working for the rights of the poorest of the poor!

For those reading this update, please consider writing your members of Congress asking them to raise questions about these killings in the Philippines.