Masses offered for slain priest; death threats bared

ANGELES CITY, Philippines — Masses in two parishes have been slated for slain priest Richmond Nilo before the interment of his remains on Friday morning at the Catholic Church’s Crypta in Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija.

Meanwhile, Aid to the Catholic Church in Need (ACN) publication yesterday said Nilo had been receiving death threats before a gunman shot him while he was preparing to celebrate mass last Sunday.

“Nilo has been receiving death threats ever since he embarked on his crusade to defend the Catholic church,” ACN said.

Along with an article from ACN, the schedule of masses was relayed through Facebook Messenger by the Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish here.

Daily morning masses are celebrated at the St. Vincent Ferrer Parish in Zaragoza in Nueva Ecija before Nilo’s remains are transferred to the San Antonio Abad Parish in San Antonio in Nueva Ecija today. 

At 7 a.m. tomorrow, a mass will be celebrated at the San Antonio Parish before Nilo’s remains are moved to the College of the Immaculate Conception chapel in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija.

“These murder-for-hire. I hate to say this, especially that the bishop is here. But either, ang tingin ko sa iyo, wala kang value sa akin, in my eyes (I regard you with no value). It does not... It leaves a bad taste in the mouth,” President Duterte said in his speech marking the 120th anniversary of Philippine Independence in Kawit, Cavite yesterday.

“If you go into the business of killing Filipinos, then ang tingin ko sa iyo walang balor. Mas mabuti ‘yang magkaprangkahan tayo (If you go into the business of killing Filipinos, you do not have value in my eyes. Let’s be blunt),” Duterte said.

Police investigators have two persons of interest who could shed light on the murder of Nilo.

Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said investigators have analyzed the footage of CCTV units in the area.

Albayalde said Central Luzon police regional director Chief Supt. Amador Corpus has requested for two more days to get details on the killing of the priest.

“If the suspects are not arrested after two days, we can publish the artist’s sketch,” he said.

Priests in Lingayen town and Dagupan City in Pangasinan, led by Archbishop Socrates Villegas and Bayombong Bishop Jose Elmer Mangalinao, have condemned the killing of priests as they declare a “Day of Reparation” on June 18.

“They are killing our flock. They are killing us, the shepherds. They are killing our faith. They are cursing our Church. They are killing God again as they did in Calvary,” Villegas and the other clerics yesterday said in a statement.

“We are not afraid. We trust in the Lord. We are ready to battle for God’s honor,” their statement read. 

The statement issued yesterday will be read from pulpits during masses on June 17, also lamenting the killing of Fr. Mark Ventura in Gattaran in Cagayan last April 29 and Fr. Marcelino Paez in Jaen in Nueva Ecija last Dec. 4.

Ventura was a known anti-mining advocate while Paez defended the human rights of locals.

The Archdiocese of Tuguegarao has denied allegations that Ventura had illicit affairs, saying “he is a respected priest in the local community.”

“God’s justice be upon those who kill the Lord’s anointed ones. There is a special place in hell for killers. There is a worse place for those who kill priests,” it added.

For its part, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has initiated its investigation on the killing of Nilo, CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said, adding that the agency’s regional office in Central Luzon has also begun its probe on the deaths of Ventura and Paez.

“We reiterate the government’s duty, through its police force, to protect the primacy of the right to life and pursue justice for the aggrieved,” she added.

In a separate statement, former CHR chair Loretta Ann Rosales urged human rights advocates to delve deeper into Nilo’s death, noting that recent killings of priests “derive from their strong advocacies for social reforms which run counter to interests of the elites of their local communities.”

But as the nation celebrated yesterday its 120th Independence Day, Couples for Christ- Foundation for Family and Life  said it has become a day of mourning for bishops and the clergy.  – With Eva Visperas, Evelyn Macairan, Janvic Mateo, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Christina Mendez