Statement

“What right have you to crush my people, grinding their faces to the dust….” (Isaiah 3: 14:15)

CEBU, Philippines - The Interfaith Justice and Peace Network (IFJPNet) strongly condemns the gruesome massacre in Maguindanao. We are not only outraged on the mastermind of the mass murder but we are also outraged of the culture of impunity. We have a reason to believe that the political dynasty, warlordism and arming of the CVO’s as tolerated by the government especially under GMA administration led to the said massacre.

We have no government capable of controlling warlords; we have only a government that tolerates political killings. The barbaric killing of journalists, lawyers, politicians and innocents civilians in Maguindanao shows us this. Such a killing in a single day is an affront to our civilization and an attack to our human dignity and freedom. We believe that this is not only an issue of killings but an issue where the government of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has legalized the arming of Civilian volunteer organizations (CVO’s) through E.O 546 and tolerate private armies of the political leaders like in Maguindanao. There are other killings throughout the country which somehow related to the arming of Civilians and private armies maintained by politicians throughout the country.

For us the church people, it is totally unacceptable to hear and see that the government resources that came from our taxes were used in the massacre like that of the backhoe and money used by the para-military groups to kill the victims. Justice must be rendered and justice must be served the soonest. Prosecute all the people involved of the massacre. This government for a long time failed to arrest and prosecutes those state security agents that continue to sow the culture of impunity through extra-judicial killings throughout the country.

Let us not forget that the killings don’t only happen last November 23 in southern Mindanao but also the killings of the lumad leaders in Northern Mindanao and brutal killing of 26 church people including Fr. Lucero and more than 1,000 activists and journalists since 2001 under the Arroyo administration.

Justice for the victims of Maguindanao Massacre and the Killing of the Lumad Leaders! End Political dynasty and warlordism! Hold the Arroyo Administration accountable to the massive human rights violations in the country!

Bro. Gilbert S. Billena, O.Carm

Interfaith Justice and Peace Network (IFJPNet)