As priest is laid to rest, suspect in his murder arrested — report

MANILA, Philippines — One of the suspects in the killing of a priest in Nueva Ecija was arrested on Thursday night, according to a report by DZMM radio.

The arrest came as Richmond Nilo, a Catholic priest shot dead on Sunday while he was preparing to celebrate an evening mass in Zaragoza town, Nueva Ecija, was buried in Cabanatuan City.

His shooting, the third under President Rodrigo Duterte who has lambasted the Catholic Churh for its supposed hypocrisy, sparked widespread concerns that priests were already being targetted by lawless elements.

According to the radio report, Philippine National Police chief Oscar Albayalde confirmed the arrest of the primary suspect in the killing of Nilo in Malapit village, San Isidro, Nueva Ecija on Thursday evening.

The suspect was "positively identified" by the altar boy who was supposed to help Nilo in celebrating the Sunday mass, the report said.

According to the police, they were looking at three motives for the killings: a land dispute, his advocacy for rape victims and his criticism of a religious sect.

Nilo's murder is the third in recent months following the April 29 killings of Catholic priest Mark Ventura after a Sunday mass in Cagayan and Catholic priest Marcelito Paez in Nueva Ecija on Dec. 5, 2017.

According to New York-based Human Rights Watch, these killings and those of the poor were "grim reminders" that the poor and those who fight for their rights and defend them against extrajudicial violence were vulnerable.

Despite the spike in the killings of priests, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines opposed the suggestion to arm them.

According to Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles, risks were part of the priests' ministry.

“I would strongly oppose to arm the priests. We are men of God, men of the Church and it is part of our ministry to face (not always) but to face dangers, to face deaths if one may say that way. But we would do it just what Jesus did,” he said as he condemned the killing of Nilo as an "outrageously evil act."

Duterte also continued his attacks on priests and said that they were no different from him because of their fondness for women.

He also vowed to show a so-called matrix on why some of the priests were killed, seemingly justifying their murder because of unproven accusations.