United Evangelical Mission

6 June 2006

President

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Malacanang Palace

Your Excellency,

Re.: Extralegal Killings

With great concern and dismay, we have received information from the United Church of Christ in the Philippines regarding the killing of Rev. Jemias Tinambacan on 9^th May 2006 in Calamba, Misamis Occidental, Mr Noel Capulong on 27^th May 2006 in Calamba, Licentiate Pastor Andy Pawikan in Nueva Ecija and Mr Jose Doton on 16^th May 2006 in Pangasinan and the attempted killing of Rev. Malou Tinambacan and Mr Cancio Doton. In three cases, the perpetrators opened fire on their victims from passing motorcycles.

In a letter to you just over one year ago, on 24^th May 2005, we expressed our concern about the increase in extralegal killings, in particular, the killing of Rev. Edison Lapuz and Mr Alfredo Malinao in San Isidoro on 12^th May 2005 by unidentified gunmen.

On behalf of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), the United Evangelical Mission participated in a pastoral ecumenical delegation to the Philippines in July 2005.

After visiting various regions, the delegation called on your government to initiate an immediate and impartial investigation into all recent extrajudicial killings and to take appropriate measures to end human rights violations.

We would like to express our profound disappointment und dissatisfaction that, if anything, the situation in your country seems, in the meantime, to have deteriorated. As a communion of churches in Germany, Africa and Asia, which has maintained close partnership relations with the UCCP for many years, we are greatly shocked by the killing of pastors, other staff and members of the church. Therefore, we urgently ask you

-           to ensure that there is a full and impartial investigation into the killing of Rev. Edison Lapuz and Mr Alfredo Malinao and the other reported cases from 2005,

-           to initiate a similar investigation into the recent cases involving the killing of Rev. Jemias Tinambacan, Mr Noel Capulong, Pastor Andy Pawikan and Mr Jose Doton, the attempted killing of Rev. Malou Tinambacan and Mr Cancio Doton and other similar cases not mentioned here,

-           to take immediate and effective action to protect church leaders, journalists, human rights defenders and other members of civil society against extralegal killings, threats and intimidations,

-           to fully implement the principles of the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and

-           to revise your government’s military strategy for resolving the insurgency and to ensure the safety of non-combatants.

We thank you for your attention and hope that your government will take the immediate steps required to prevent the further killing of civilians and bring to justice those, who are behind these brutal acts of violence.

Yours sincerely,

United Evangelical Mission

Communion of Churches in Three Continents

Rev Reiner Groth                                                Dr Jochen Motte

General Secretary                                               (Executive Secretary for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation)

Encl.:

Public Advisory of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines from 27^th May 2006

Anglican Church of Canada and United Church of Canada

February 2006

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Malacalang Palace

Manila, Philippines.

Dear Madam President,

It is with great dismay and alarm that the Anglican Church of Canada and The United Church of Canada received the news that a state of emergency was declared in the Philippines on Friday, February 24, 2006.

We call on you, President Macapagal-Arroyo, to lift the state of national emergency immediately. We are aware the constitutionality and legality of Proclamation 1017 are being challenged by members of the Philippine Senate citing non-compliance with the limits and restraints on your use of Extraordinary Powers.

We strongly believe the declaration of a state of emergency will lead to violations of human rights, the curtailment of people's freedom and a trampling of democracy.  This was clearly demonstrated from 1972 –1986 during the Martial Law period.  We fear for the safety of citizens, especially progressive church

members, social justice advocates and human rights defenders.

We condemn the arrests and detentions of Congresspeople Crispin Beltran and Joel Virador, labour leaders Dennis Maga and Marcial Dabela, the arrest of Professor Randy David, the threats of arrest against members of the opposition including Congresspeople Liza Masa, Satur Ocampo, Teodoro Casino and Rafael Mariano.  We are appalled by the raid on the Daily Tribune, threats against the media and the banning of public protests. This is a direct attack on freedom of expression and the muzzling of the voice of the people.

These actions clearly violate people’s democratic rights. They are also contrary to your declaration that Proclamation 1017 will not include arrests, and that your Government would respect the civil and democratic rights of people. The Philippine Government, as signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and a party to all major international human rights instruments, must honor its commitments to these instruments.

We urge you to release immediately all those arrested, and we call on you, Madam President, to serve and uphold the democratic rights of the Philippine people.

Sincerely yours,

Eleanor Johnson                                                                     Omega Bula

Director                                                                                    Executive Minister

Partnerships                                                                            Justice, Global and Ecumenical Relations

Anglican Church of Canada                                                     United Church of Canada

Cc:  Foreign Affairs Minister Peter Mackay

33 Churches and Church Related Organizations

7 October 2005

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Office of the President

Malacañang Palace

JP Laurel Street

San Miguel

Manila  NCR 1005

Philippines

Dear President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,

As churches and church-related organisations we are deeply concerned at the killings of 34 activists in the Philippines so far in the year 2005. The people killed include members of the clergy. The latest people to be killed are

·         Diosdado Fortuna who was shot in the back by suspected military agents on 22 September 2005 in Laguna.

·         Rev. Raul Domingo who died in hospital on 4 September 2005, two weeks after being shot by suspected military agents in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

·         Atty Norman Bocar was shot in the head by suspected military agents on 1 September 2005 in Borongan in Eastern Samar

On 14-21 July 2005 a delegation of church leaders from the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) came to the Philippines at the invitation of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) to investigate the human rights situation. They noted the rising number of murders of activists and observed that “large-scale human rights violations including police and military intimidation, illegal detention, and torture of peasants working on the farms of rich landlords are being perpetrated.”

The WCC/CCA delegation also stated that:

“Among the root causes of the current turmoil in the country are: the inadequacies of state institutions such as the judiciary, inequitable distribution of resources which traps many Filipinos in abject poverty, and the monopoly of transnational corporations and other foreign interests in resource exploitation.”

The Gospel leads Christians to a commitment to a just and equitable society in which every human being has God given significance and dignity.

We mourn each of those killed and we deplore the ongoing violence and killing. We stand in solidarity with the struggle of the Filipino people to achieve their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. We assert their right to take non-violent action in defence of those rights without violent reprisal.

As supporters of the Trade for People Campaign we are committed to using human rights principles to challenge economic injustice. We oppose legislation and trade rules that put corporate profits before people’s lives and well-being and the integrity of the environment.

We urge you to take the following actions:

·         To carry out immediate and impartial investigations into all recent extrajudicial executions. To make the results of these investigations public and to ensure that anyone found responsible is brought to justice.

·         To promote agrarian and land rights reform which enables rural women and men to have more access to natural resources.

·         To repeal legislation, including the 1995 Mining Act, which puts corporate profit before the interests of people and the environment.

Yours sincerely,

Organisations:

Action Chrétienne pour le Développement du Sahel

APRODEV

Ecumenical Coalition on Tourism

Bread for all, Development Service of the Protestant Churches in Switzerland

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, Commission for Justice, Peace and Development

Ceasefire Project, Lagos, Nigeria

Chethana, A Joining Hands Against Hunger global partnership with the Presbyterian Church (USA) in India

Christian World Service, National Council of Churches in Australia

Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance

Franciscans International

Forum for Child Rights, National Council of Churches in India

Justice and Peace Commission of the Missionaries of Africa in the Netherlands

Iglesia Evangélica del Río de la Plata, Argentina

KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives

LWF Cambodia

Lutheran World Federation

Lutheran World Relief

Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, USA

Moravian Church in Tanzania

Movimiento Continental de Cristianos por la Paz con Justicia y Dignidad

Norwegian Church Aid

Pastoral Ecuménica VIH-SIDA, Argentina

Presbyterian World Service & Development, Canada

Simalungun Protestant Christian Church

United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries, USA

United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India

United Evangelical Mission, Communion of Churches in Three Continents

United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society (USA)

United Methodist Church, General Board of Global Ministries (USA)

World Alliance of Reformed Churches

World Council of Churches

World Alliance of YMCAs

World YWCA

Individuals:

John Andrews, The Church of the Martyrs,, Leicester, UK

Rev’d Mark Battison, St. James the Greater, Leicester, UK

Mary Eucharia

John M. Hull, All Saints Parish Church, King’s Heath, Birmingham, UK

Rev. George H. Humbert, Jr., Chairperson Joining Hands Against Hunger in Giddings-Lovejoy Presbytery -- St. Louis, MO and Pastor of College Avenue Presbyterian Church Alton, IL, USA

Reverends R & M Lambert, Diocese of Leicester, UK

David Marchesi

Mr Richard Meredith, Emmanuel Church, Loughborough, UK

Marie Nuala Mottley PBVM, Presentation Office for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation, Manchester, UK

Sheila O'Gorman

Jacqueline C Patterson

Lisa Pires

John Plant, Team Rector, The Benefice of Market Bosworth and Sheepy, Leicester Diocese, Church of England

Dr. Karl Schoenberg, EED

Rev. Steven J. Sprecher, Lake Oswego United Methodist Church, Lake Oswego, OR USA

Revd. Ruth Souter,, Curate of St Peter's Church, Braunstone Park,, Leicester, UK

Kurt Struckmeyer

CC:

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines

National Council of Churches in the Philippines

United Church of Canada

2 April 2005

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

Malacanang Palace

Manila, Philippines

RE:  Recent Spate of Killings and Targeting of Religious leaders and gross human rights violations in the Philippines

Dear Madame President:

We are greatly troubled by the series of killings in the last three months of human rights workers, members and leaders of peasants’ and farmers’ associations, and political opposition and advocates for justice.  The National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) informed us that since January 2005, at least 34 people have been killed, majority of the victims were members of the Philippine churches. It is out of great concern borne of our faith and our partnership with the Philippine churches, that we write you this letter.

We join our partners in denouncing the killing of Rev. Fr. William Tadena, a priest of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) and chair of the church’s Social Concern and Human Rights program.   We were told that the only ‘crime’ Fr. Tadena committed was offering support to the striking workers at Hacienda Luisita.  Partners tell us that Fr. Tadena was the eleventh supporter of the workers to have been killed.

We are also outraged by the assassination attempt on Fr. Allan Caparo,  another IFI priest, and his wife on February 18, 2005.  We are told that Fr. Caparo is the vice-chair of the ecumenical organization, Promotion of Church Peoples’ Response (PCPR) in Western Samar.  Prior to the assassination attempt on Fr. Caparo, already a number of PCPR members have been killed, including Joel Baclao, a lay preacher of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines.

We join the Philippine churches in condemning these targeted killings.  We believe there is a strong evidence that these killings are part of a systematic campaign to silence and intimidate individuals and groups who support the striking workers of Hacienda Luisita, human rights advocates and leaders of people’s organizations who challenge the policies of the government and oppose the abuses of the military.

Madame President, our concern about these killings springs from our deep belief in the sacredness of life as a gift from God, and from our responsibility to protect the rights of the people.  We believe that these are values and commitments that you, as a Christian and the leader of the nation, share and uphold.

We, therefore call on you to:

• Act immediately to stop these extra judicial and targeted killings;
• Immediately conduct an investigation into these killings;
• Ensure that the perpetrators of the crime are brought to justice;
• Immediately order the chain of command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to strictly enforce with their members the international standards and national laws protecting the civil and political rights of citizens.

We share the fear of our Philippine partners that the impunity enjoyed by those responsible for the killings would only lead to the escalation of violence.  Madam President, please act now to stop this senseless violence.

Sincerely,

Omega Bula

Executive Minister

Justice, Global and Ecumenical Relations Unit

The United Church of Canada

cc.                  Hon. Chairperson Dr. Purificacion Quisumbing

The Commission on Human Rights

Hon. Secretary Avelino Cruz

Department of National Defense

Sharon Rose Ruiz Duremdes

General Secretary

National Council of Churches in the Philippines

Hon. Pierre Pettigrew

Minister of Foreign Affairs 

Ambassador Francisco Benedicto

Philippine Ambassador to Canada

Consul General Alejandro Mosquera

Office of the Philippine Consul General