Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Davao City (Agenzia Fides) - A great pilgrimage will be held in Mindanao, from November 26 to 29, to remember Father Fausto Tentorio, PIME, the missionary who was killed in Arakan a month ago, and to demand an end to human rights abuses on the large island of Mindanao, Southern Philippines. The initiative, organized on the 40th day after the death of the missionary, was launched by the Movement "Justice for Father Pops Tentorio" which welcomes more than 50 religious congregations and organizations of civil society, hundreds of priests, religious women, missionaries and human rights activists. The pilgrimage, as reported to Fides will involve thousands of people, and will start from the city of Davao, with a long caravan, will move to Arakan and Kidapawan, where there will be a liturgy on Father Tentorio’s memorial grave. The leaders of the Movement will meet with local authorities in Arakan and also some of the investigators who are looking into the missionary’s death, as well as representatives of the Human Rights Commission of the Ministry of Justice of the Philippines.
As reported in a note sent to Fides, the Movement aims to encourage the government not to "shirk its responsibility for the persistence of extrajudicial executions and towards the culture of impunity". "Serious human rights violations continue unabated in Arakan", recalls the Movement. "Three days after Fr.Pops’ murder, a series of human rights abuses were committed against farmers and lumads in Arakan: Ramon Batoy, a 35-year-old tribal farmer, was killed, another farmer was detained, tortured and accused of being a member of the New People's Army (NPA). Over 200 families in Arakan were evicted from their homes because of military operations on behalf of the Armed Forces of the Philippines ".
The Movement, which feels the responsibility in the defense of tribal people for whom Fr. Tentorio gave his life, says that "this apparent impunity martyred Fr.Pops and many other victims of extrajudicial executions". The pilgrimage intends to launch "a campaign of solidarity for indigenous people", "to bring at a national and international level the appeal for justice and against impunity", "to put political and moral pressure on the government so that they take concrete steps to resolve Father Tentorio’s murder, dismantle paramilitary groups, and to seriously think about analyzing the issue of peace and development in Mindanao". (PA) (Agenzia Fides 11/11/2011)
