ASIA/PHILIPPINES - The arrests of missionaries, nuns, priests, lay people accused of supporting communist armed groups continue

Isulan (Agenzia Fides) - The practice of "red tagging", or labeling a person as 'communist' or 'supporter of communist groups or armed terrorists', continues to affect religious and missionaries and their collaborators who work for vulnerable, poor or indigenous people in Central and Southern Philippines. In recent days, the police in Sultan Kudarat province (on the island of Mindanao) arrested Aileen Manipol Villarosa, 41, an operator of an organization affiliated with the "Rural Missionaries of the Philippines", on charges of financing terrorism. The Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP) is a national Catholic, inter-religious, interdiocesan organization that brings together religious, priests and lay people who work as pastoral workers among farmers, farmers, fishermen and indigenous peoples. The organization was founded in 1969, is a partner of the Association of Religious Superiors of the Philippines and denounces the continuation of the practice of "red tagging": already in August 2022, the Justice Department brought charges against 16 people linked to the "Rural Missionaries", including five women religious, for alleged financing of terrorism, accused of transferring funds to the New People's Army, a communist-inspired armed group in conflict with the state. Furthermore, in November 2022, the Rev. Edwin Egar, a priest of the "United Church of Christ in the Philippines", and his wife, Julieta Egar were charged with supporting terrorism, along with 71 others, including trade unionists and aid workers, who deny any wrongdoing. As the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) states, "red-tagging" occurs regardless of political beliefs or affiliations and is "an incitement to repression and persecution against those who are critical of the government". Civil society organizations, missionaries and church workers have been threatened and arrested on charges of "covering up for local communist terrorist groups". Laws such as the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 and the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012 aggravate the threat of "red-tagging". Members of Christian communities such as the Catholic Church, United Church of Christ in the Philippines, Iglesia Filipina Independiente and the United Methodist Church in the Philippines are affected by such allegations. The assets of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines and the United Church of Christ in the Southern and Central Philippines were frozen under the Terrorist Financing Prevention Act. The system of "red tagging" was deployed by the Philippine government as part of a militarized counterinsurgency campaign that began under the administration of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and is continuing under the administration of current Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The result is increased militarization in rural areas and increasing restrictions on citizens, notes the National Council of Churches in the Philippines. "Those who defend land, often ancestral property of indigenous peoples, from the development of mines and dams, are confronted with the Filipino military who use their power to protect the interests of multinational companies. Peasants who strive to ensure a just, decent and sustainable livelihood for their families and communities are often imprisoned or killed, while lawyers who try to represent them are attacked or arrested," the Council notes. The Council brought these demands to the meeting of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee, which was held in Geneva in the last few days. The WCC condemned the gross human rights violations committed in the Philippines and called on the Government of the Philippines to take measures to end these violations. The National Council of Churches in the Philippines, committed to working with and for the poor, is calling on the government and communist groups to resume peace negotiations and address the root causes of the armed conflict. The ecumenical body calls on Christian communities of all denominations to pray for those who struggle and suffer to protect the dignity of every human being, especially for the most vulnerable groups, and asks the faithful to accompany and support their commitment. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 3/7/2023)

Share:

human rights

---

---