JUSTICE FOR BISHOP RAMENTO, JUSTICE FOR ALL THE VICTIMS OF POLITICAL KILLINGS

Supreme Bishop Alberto Ramento (center), former head of the Philippine Independent Church (PIC) and co-chairman of the Ecumenical Bishops' Forum (EBF) with Hong Kong fact-finding mission delegates Serenade Woo, Chairperson of the Hong Kong Journalists Association and Jackie Hung of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese last July in the Philippines. Bishop Ramento was stabbed to death by assailants believed to be from the military inside his parish church yesterday morning.

UNIFIL-MIGRANTE-HK Press Statement on the Killing of Bishop Alberto Ramento

Press Statement
October 4, 2006


Reference: Eman Villanueva
Secretary General
Tel no.: 97585935


Justice for Bishop Ramento, human rights defender and man of peace

There is no relent for this murderous government to silence the vocal, the fearless and the defenders of human rights and of the people. Now they have killed a man of peace, a man of the church, a man of the people.

We in the United Filipinos in Hong Kong condemn in the strongest possible terms the recent killing of Bishop Alberto Ramento, known human rights defender, co-chairperson of the Ecumenical Bishops’ Forum and founding convenor of the Movement of Concerned Citizens for Civil Liberties.

Bishop Ramento, former Obispo Maximo (Supreme Bishop) of the progressive Philippine Independent Church, was stabbed to death on October 3 inside his rectory in Tarlac. He was stabbed seven times at the back and to his heart.

The local police are quick to claim that Bishop Ramento’s death was a case of robbery with homicide even without holding an initial investigation.

We think otherwise. Who would steal from a poor man from a poor church? Who would kill an old and defenseless man?

Bishop Ramento’s murder is clearly political. He was a man of peace and a defender of the people. He had been vocal in questioning the legitimacy of Gloria Arroyo’s presidency and unafraid in expressing his condemnation of the present government’s hand in the political killings. Although weakened by old age, he is wizened and made strong by his principles and stance – the very reasons he was killed.

He rallied support to the struggle of the farm workers of Hacienda Luisita, a vast sugar plantation in Tarlac. His commitment to their cause has earned him their love and respect. To them and many others, he was the “Bishop of the Poor Peasants and Workers”.

To us migrant workers, he was a symbol of hope and empowerment. We have had the opportunity to meet with him and discuss the matters of human rights situation in our country in one of his many visits to Hong Kong to meet with his congregation in the Philippine Independent Church. At his age, he stood undaunted for justice and peace. He showed us what it meant to have faith with action.

We knew that when he opened his mouth to speak and moved his arms to take action, he was speaking not only for those in the Philippines but for us migrant workers as well.

He was vocal and they silenced him. He was active and unafraid, and they killed him.

Bishop Ramento’s death adds to the growing accountability of the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo government in this spate of political killings. We will not be easily deceived by a mere change in tactic from motorcycle-riding assassins to so-called “burglars”. This is a part of a national campaign under the guise of “all-out war policy” to silence and “neutralize” their perceived “enemies of the state”.

We join his family and friends and the Filipino people in mourning the loss of a man who has shown unwavering love and commitment to serve the poor and call for a swift and independent investigation on his death to bring the perpetrators to justice.

We likewise call on all peace-loving people, the religious and human rights advocates and the international community in joining us in this campaign to call for justice not only for Bishop Ramento’s death but of those many others.

While we lost another strong comrade and friend in the movement to defend human rights and peace in the Philippines, his death will not cow us from speaking up and fighting for the cause.

We will continue his legacy and shall remain as steadfast and vigilant as he was.

UNITED FILIPINOS IN HONG KONG (UNIFIL-MIGRANTE-HK)
2/F., New Hall, St. John's Cathedral, 4 Garden Road,
Central, Hong Kong SAR

IFI Statement on the brutal killing of The Most Rev. Alberto B. Ramento

A STATEMENT OF THE IGLESIA FILIPINA INDEPENDIENTE ON THE BRUTAL KILLING OF THE MOST REVEREND ALBERTO B. RAMENTO,THE NINTH IFI OBISPO MAXIMO

"I KNOW THEY ARE GOING TO KILL ME NEXT BUT NEVER WILL I ABANDON MY DUTY TO GOD AND MY MINISTRY TO THE PEOPLE"
(A statement of Bishop Alberto B Ramento to his family.)


The Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) has once again made a precious offering in the continuing task of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the brutal killing of the Most Reverend Alberto B. Ramento,the 9th Obispo Maximo of the Church.

The good bishop was slain by faceless assassins who broke through the rectory where he was staying at around four o'clock in the morning of October 03, 2006 in the Parish of San Sebastian, Tarlac City. He was awakened in his sleep when the assassins had entered his room and stabbed him seven times to death. We denounced in the strongest possible terms this barbaric and dastardly act against a man of the cloth within the premises of his own church.

Initial police investigation reports point to the incident as a mere case of robbery with homicide. However, the Ramento family, the clergy and the faithful of the Diocese of Tarlac believe that the motive is much deeper than what has come out from the spot investigation. There are glaring indications that Bishop Ramento's murder was thoroughly
planned and politically motivated. We believe that the brutal killing was the inevitable consequence of his principled engagement with the people and their struggle for the fullness of life.

Bishop Ramento, aside from being a well-loved pastor by his clergy and faithful, has earned the reputation as a social prophet, and an icon in the nationalist struggle of the Filipino masses with his uncompromising stand for national sovereignty and patrimony. He was a true advocate of just peace. As a matter of fact, Bishop Ramento is part of the
Monitoring Group in the Peace Talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front Philippines.

He was a known figure in the ecumenical movement in and outside the country. Bishop Ramento has served as the Chairperson of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines. He was also a Co-Chairperson of the Ecumenical Bishops Forum (EBF) which is composed of bishops from the various Churches in the Philippines

Bishop Ramento, as the Chairman of the IFI Supreme Council of Bishops (SCB), has strongly condemned the state of political repression and grave situation of human rights violation in the country. He has particularly denounced the unabated extra judicial killings of militant leaders, social activists, lawyers, journalists, church people and innocent civilians under the watch of the current administration. As an outspoken critic of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, he has consistently questioned the legitimacy of her presidency, and urged her to step down from office. In the last pastoral letter he signed as SCB Chairman, Bishop Ramento has urged the faithful "to find courage and confront the darkness that is engulfing the very soul of the nation and continue to thread the path towards the establishment of a just society under a government that genuinely serves the interest and welfare of the Filipinos."

Honored as the "Bishop of the Poor Peasants and Workers", Bishop Ramento has earned the love and respect of the farm workers at Hacienda Luisita, a vast sugar plantation in Tarlac, as he rallied support to their cause and advocated for their struggle.

The people behind his death might think that they have silenced him and maimed the prophetic voice of the Church. They are mistaken. His death has become like a candle in a burning incense, sparking more fire, enflaming the hearts of the clergy and faithful of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente to remain faithful to her pro-people and pro-labor
heritage. Indeed, we grieved over his death, yet we celebrate his life. They may have taken his life by opening his body with wounds - but these wounds have become the doorway from which Bishop Ramento's valiant spirit has been poured out and shared to many.

Truly, the death of Bishop Alberto B. Ramento is a great loss not only for the Iglesia Filipina Independiente but also for the ecumenical movement and peoples' organizations. The Iglesia Filipina Independiente strongly urges the authorities to immediately conduct a thorough and impartial investigation on the murder of Bishop Ramento and bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice.

We ask the prayers of the faithful for Bishop Alberto B. Ramento, a fatherly pastor, a social prophet, an uncompromising nationalist, a peacemaker, and a champion of the peoples' cause, who now joins his Creator. As we mourn the death of a beloved member of the IFI family, may we find inspiration from his life and death even as we commit to stand firmly for what he believed in and fought for. Let his death find meaning in our continuing resolve to live-out the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ upon which Bishop Ramento dedicated his life.

PRO DEO ET PATRIA

+ GODOFREDO J. DAVID
11th Obispo Maximo

[ENS] Filipino bishop Alberto Ramento found stabbed to death

Filipino bishop Alberto Ramento found stabbed to death

By Matthew Davies
Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Bishop Alberto Ramento of Tarlac in the Philippines was found stabbed to death at his rectory on the morning of October 3.


[Episcopal News Service] Bishop Alberto Ramento of Tarlac in the Philippines, former Prime Bishop of the Philippine Independent Church, or Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI), was found stabbed to death at his rectory on the morning of October 3.

The initial police report said that he may have been killed by robbers, but others suspect Ramento, an outspoken critic of the Philippine government, could have been the victim of a political killing, the Manila Times reported.

"The true circumstances are still unknown though the initial report describes it as a robbery with homicide," according to the IFI website.

Those who knew Ramento and his advocacy work for peace and human rights joined in mourning his death, while vigils have been planned in Tarlac and at the cathedral in Manila.

The Rev. Winifred Vergara, missioner for Asian American Ministries in the Episcopal Church, was a priest in the IFI and remembers Ramento as "a prophetic voice in the Philippines" even after his retirement.

"He remained a committed nationalist, devoted to the cause of the Philippine Independent Church," he said. "He was very bold and always standing up for the oppressed and struggling for a free, humane and just Philippine society."

"We at the Episcopal Church Center were shocked to receive this horrible news," said Canon Margaret S. Larom, director of Anglican and Global Relations. "How terrible that this bold church leader should lose his life as a victim of a crime. But if his death is attributable to the foes of justice, how much worse.

"Our prayers are with the faithful members of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, and all people in the Philippines who looked to him as a voice of conscience in the wider society. May his soul rest in peace, and all who loved him find strength and patience at this time."

The Student Christian Movement of the Philippines recalled his last public speech at an Interfaith Rally on June 12, this year's National Independence Day, when he voiced strong objections against the country's political killings and corruption, as well as the government's move to amend the Philippine Constitution. "We have lost again a voice of conscience."

Mervin Toquero of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines said that Ramento's death is a big loss to the ecumenical movement in the country.

The Ecumenical Bishops' Forum, which Ramento co-chaired, has called for "an immediate and thorough investigation because Bishop Ramento was a staunch peace and human rights advocate" and had received death threats in connection with his advocacy, Toquero said. "A fact-finding team is now on its way to Central Luzon to investigate."

Ramento's death is the latest in a string of killings of Christian leaders in the Philippines. On June 17, Tito Marata, provincial officer of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines and a member of the Farmers for Agrarian Reform Movement, was gunned down by passing motorcyclists, taking the death toll of Christian activists to 17 in less than two years.

Ramento was also the chair of the Supreme Council of Bishops of the IFI as well as a convener of the Pilgrims for Peace, an alliance of peace advocates in the Philippines.

A Concordat of Full Communion that commits to mutual mission and ministry between the U.S.-based Episcopal Church and the IFI was first signed in 1961.

At the 75th General Convention, an updated version of the Concordat was signed by its current Obispo Maximo, the Most Rev. Godofredo David, and Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, as part of a June 19 reception for ecumenical and interfaith guests. Vergara noted that Ramento had been instrumental in the drafting process.

David will partake in the Thanksgiving Day Mass at the Silver Anniversary of Aglipay Central Theological Seminary (ACTS) on Saturday, October 7. A posthumous plaque and speech will be presented as recognition of Ramento's involvement in the re-opening of the seminary and his "unwavering support."

-- Matthew Davies is international correspondent for the Episcopal News Service

Letter of His Eminence Cardinal Joseph Zen, S.D.B. - Stop extra-judicial killings

CARDINAL JOSEPH ZEN, S.D.B.
BISHOP OF HONG KONG

26 September 2006.

Consul General Alejandrino A. Vicente
Consulate General of the Philippines, HKSAR
14/F, United Centre,
95 Queensway,
Admiralty,
Hong Kong.

Re: Stop extra-judicial killings in the Philippines

Dear Consul-General Vicente,

I am writing to express my deep concern about the spree of extra-judicial killings repeatedly occurring in your country that have caused the deaths of at least 700 political activists, journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders and members of the Clergy since President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo took office in 2001, according to human rights groups' reports and news reports.

These incidents not only shock the international community, the Catholic Church, which is a predominant community in your country, also feels deeply dismayed over such killings suspected as sympathizers of insurgents allegedly by some ultra-rightist elements in the military.

The Papal Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Fernando Filoni and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) have denounced such killings as not respecting or implementing the rights of the human race.

The repeated occurrence of the incidence highlights the contradictory commitment of your government's intention to abolish death penalty and challenges your country's rule of law.

As a humanitarian concern and solidarity for Church people and peace activists in your country, I ask you to communicate to President Arroyo to seriously look into the matter and strongly urge your government to take appropriate measures to immediately stop such killings.

Yours sincerely,

+ Joseph Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun
Bishop of Hong Kong

Bishop Ramento with HK Mission Delegates

Bishop Ramento with HK Mission (fact-finding) delegates Fr. Dwight Q. dela Torre of St. John's Cathedral and Jackie Hung of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese last July in the Philippines.

Statement of BAYAN on Bp. Ramento killing

News Release
October 3, 2006


Bayan expresses deep sorrow over loss of Bishop Alberto Ramento Human rights defender, peace advocate

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan today expressed deep sorrow over the loss of a “staunch human rights defender and peace advocate in the person of Obispo Maximo Alberto Ramento”, the former head of the Philippine Independent Church.

Ramento died of stab wounds in his convent in Tarlac, according to reports reaching the Bayan office. Bayan has immediately called for a swift investigation into the death of Ramento.

The Aglipayan bishop was active in human rights and civil liberties issues, being a founding convenor of the Movement of Concerned Citizens for Civil Liberties (MCCCL). He spoke out against the spate of extrajudicial killings under the Arroyo administration. Progressive church leaders and workers have been among the targets of political assassination in the provinces.

In the June 12 Interfaith Rally against Charter Change, Ramento again took to the stage in Liwasang Bonifacio to denounce the administration’s moves to revise the constitution. During his speech, he proudly announced that during its deliberations, the leadership of the Philippine Independent Church was unanimous in its opposition to charter change. This announcement drew applause from the audience and leaders of other churches and faiths present at the rally.

“The loss of Ramento, especially in these times of intense repression and crisis, will truly be felt by all. His death is as heavy as the Sierra Madre,” Bayan said in its statement.