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Wednesday, March 13, 2019
DUTERTE
saqes wete received by Caloocart
Aichbishop Virgi)io David and
Lingayen-Dagupan AtchbishoP
Socrates Villegas.
Three parish priests have been
shot dead under the Dutette
adminisration. They are Mat
cdito Paez, 72, in Nueva Eciia in
Decembet 2017; Mark AnthonY
Venrura, J /. tn Lagayan 1lI .,l.Pflr
2018; and Richmond Nilq 40, in
Nueva Ecija.
Reyes, in an intervieq said,
"Panelo and this government
should not ta.ke death threat as a
joke... He insults us by cheapening
the lives of the three priests that
have been killed."
rWhat is worse, the priest said,
is that the belitding comes ftom a
government official.
"They should take this situa-
tion very seriously because botlr
he and the President are meant to
' Robert Re1.es
nsel Salwdor
I by tbree pr:
serve the FiJipino people, ensure
their safety, prevent violence and
untoward yiolations of our right
to life," said Reyes.
Reyes also expressed hoPe the
Catholic Bishops Confeteoce of
the Philippines will not wait for
another death befote taking the
issue more seriously.
'Are they waiting fot one of
them @ishops) to be sactificed in
order for them to wake up? These
ate not empty tlreats," he said.
"I hope the CBCP Petmanent
Council considers how serious the
situation has deteriorated. If they
think a soft statement is helPing,
they are not at all," he added.
Hilbay said Malacaiang caonot
claim that the dueats are not con-
nected to Duterte's so-called jokes
because as the highest elected of-
ficial, the President's words have
the semblance of state PolicY.
"He cannot keep on making
cracks about robbing and mutdet-
u FBnlr AG€ t
ing our bishops ot any FiJiPino.
He caonot be allowed to conunue
taking refuge behind being a Bisaya
because a lot of people who came
from there worit even thint of say-
ing what he did," he pointed out
Ale jano said Duterte's wotds
amount to a religious petsecution.
"Nobody has the right to suP-
press our faith, If out Ptesident
is serious about plotecting the
cletgy, he should be the frrst one to
clamp down on tl'ueats of violence
directed against the Chutch. He
should ensure that these tfueats ate
investigated with dispatch," he said
Macalintal denounced the intim-
idation of Church peoPle saYing
the fault of a few ptiests does not
give any one the right to condemn
the Catholic faith.
'Ve call on President Dutelte to
stop fuelirg t1le fire of Pececution
agarnst the Ca*rolic church and the
men of God, to put a stoP to ttus
cutture of impunity," he said.