‘Christ has set us free. Stand firm and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery’. (Gal. 5.1)
The Iglesia Filipina Independiente condemns the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for maliciously naming her among the list of organizations and institutions to be in the ‘echelon of alliances with the Communist Party of the Philippines’ and are ‘enemies of the state’ that needed to be ‘neutralized’.
This comes not as a surprise after we discovered that the Armed Forces of the Philippines has also been showing a documentary film that presents a number of our bishops and priests as communist rebels.
This is clearly a part of the counter-insurgency program of the government of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to restrain our bishops, priests and church workers who support the legitimate struggle of the basic masses for social, economic and political reforms in the country.
This now makes us clearly see with our eyes who were the authors of the brutal killing and murder attempt on two of our priests, Fr. William Tadena and Fr. Allan Caparro.
The inclusion of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente in the list of the ‘enemies of the state’ and the growing incidents of harassment of our bishops, priests and church workers demonstrate the worsening political repression and human rights violations in the Philippines.
We are deeply alarmed over the unfolding militarist posture of the government of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as characterized by her wanton disregard of the people’s democratic rights and civil liberties. We are now witnessing the aggressive emergence of a police state while an undeclared state of martial rule is being imposed upon the people of our country.
The Iglesia Filipina Independiente calls on the faithful and the people to denounce the escalation of political repression in the country, to remain vigilant against tyranny and terrorism of the state and the military, and to resist military rule over civilian authority in the strongest possible terms. We are also urging President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to respect our people’s democratic rights as citizens of the country.
+MOST REVEREND TOMAS A. MILLAMENA, D.D
Obispo Maximo
Manila, 08 April 2005
