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Umaapela ang Diocese ng Legazpi kay Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na ipag-utos ang pagpapatigil at pagpanagot sa batas ng mga sangkot sa extra-juducial killings sa laban ng pamahalaan kontra iligal na droga sa bansa.
Sa open letter ng Diocese of Legazpi kay Pangulong Duterte, ipinahayag ng Obispo, mga pari at relihiyoso ang kanilang pagkadismaya sa pagkakaroon ng kasanayan sa kultura ng kamatayan.
“Because of these killings, we are sadly witnessing a growing callousness among our people, accepting these as a fact of life; for they say, these persons were after all drug addicts, and therefore they deserved to die! What is happening to us? Have we become so heartless that we cannot anymore feel for them, their families and those loved ones they have left behind?” bahagi ng open letter ng Diocese of Legazpi
Kaloob ng open letter ang panawagan sa pangulong Duterte na paimbestigahan at ipatigil ang sinasabing police and state government state sponsored death squad.
“We further acknowledge that many of our law enforcers are honest-to-goodness public servants, but there are reports on the spate of “rub-outs” allegedly done by the police and government-sponsored death squads. Mr. President, we urge you to order especially these extra-judicial killings be stopped, investigated and those responsible arrested and brought to justice.”
Inihayag din sa open letter ang kanilang buong suporta sa paglaban ng pamahalaan sa illegal na droga dahil sa katunayan ay mayroon silang community based rehabilitation program.
“We, the Bishop, Clergy, Religious and Lay Leaders of the Diocese of Legazpi are doing our best to help address the drug problem through peaceful and more compassionate ways other than killing. We have started HARONG PAGLAOM (House of Hope), which is a community-based rehabilitation program aimed at providing recovery coaching, spiritual guidance and life skills training to substance users, in collaboration with local government units, particularly the barangays.”statement ng Diocese ng Legazpi
Dagdag pa ng Diocese, hindi dapat basta-basta na lang pinapatay ang mga hinuhuling nalulong sa illegal na droga dahil dapat igalang ang buhay ng tao at mayroon silang karapatan na humarap batas.
“Mr. President, we reiterate the position of the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations, that killing is morally and legally wrong. Morally, because God wants the salvation of the sinner and not his death (Ezekiel 33,11). Legally, because, being a lawyer yourself, you know that one is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt; and even if one is proven guilty, the most that the law provides is reclusio perpetua (life imprisonment). Yes, as we said above, we support your drive against illegal drugs and other forms of criminality, but we question the method, for “the end does not justify the means”.
Ipinabatid din ng Diocese of Legazpi sa pamahalaan ang kanilang pagtutol at panalangin upang mahinto na ang extra-judcial killings sa bansa.
Noong November 27, 2016 pinasimulan ng Diocese ang ringing of bells sa lahat ng parokya at mga simbahan bilang hudyat ng sabay-sabay na pananalangin sa kalinawagan ng lahat sa nangyayaring karahasan sa lipunan.
“We also encourage our parishes, schools as well as ecclesial communities to come together in study groups for prayer, discernment and concerted action, as we try to live out God’s call to us, i.e., to become a compassionate and merciful Church in the Diocese of Legazpi. Come and join us! Together we can make a difference and significantly reduce this disorder in our midst, and – more importantly – work for the betterment of the lives of our people especially the poor. Starting on 27 November next, the First Sunday of Advent, at nine o’clock in the evening, and every night henceforth for as long as it will take, we will ring the bells of our churches and chapels to call our people to prayer, to ask God to bless us all with His grace of Mercy and Compassion. This prayer we call PRAYER AT NINE.”
Sa datus ng Commission on Human Rights, umaabot na sa 5-libong tao ang napapatay sa kampanya ng pamahalaan kontra iligal na droga mula unang araw ng Hulyo hanggang sa kasalukuyan. (Riza Mendoza)
