Church people denounce nun’s continuing harassment

As the bible says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly, defend the rights of the poor and the needy (Prov. 31:8-9). But in this obscene climate of oppression, those who live up in this prophetic role become the foremost target of persecution.

Sr. Stella Matutina, OSB is the latest victim in the escalating threats against human dignity in the region. As if her detention by the soldiers of the 67th Infantry Battalion last February 16 was not enough, surveillance and harassment against her and her congregation have also occurred.

The Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR) strongly condemns this blatant disrespect and persecution of fellow church people. We strongly criticize the continuing persecution and Sr. Matutina’s saga and quest for justice against the arrest, arbitrary detention and harassment of the 67th Infantry Battalion.

Sr. Matutina has opted to live for the poor by being in solidarity with them in their struggle in the defense of the environment and life. Outside the confines of her convent, she, along with other advocates, went to the outside world, in the vastness of Davao Oriental hinterlands, where logging activities and mining explorations thrive posing threat to the environment and to God’s people.

Her vocation has brought her even closer to God’s people, risking the ire of the military establishment which apparently protects big business interest in the areas where she serve.

We are disheartened with the chilling truth that even us, church people, can fell prey to the hostility of the supposedly protector of our people. But it is not surprising though for this is only a part of the extensive design of the OPLAN BANTAY LAYA, the Arroyo government’s counter-insurgency program that principally targets civilians, human rights defenders and advocates.

We wholly support Sr. Matutina and her quest for justice. We call on our fellow church people to continue the ecumenical praxis for the defense, promotion and upholding of people’s rights and the integrity of creation.

We also enjoin our fellow church people to assert and to defend the integrity of the church people response to the challenges posed by the struggle of the Filipino people.

“Fear not little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Lk. 12:32). Tell everyone, therefore, who is discouraged: Be strong and don’t be afraid! God is coming to your rescue, coming to punish your adversaries!”


Rev. Jurie Jaime
Secretary-General
Promotion of Church People’s Response

Rebels Kill 6 Soldiers In Southern Philippine Ambush

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 25, 2008) – Communist rebels killed six infantrymen and wounded three others in an ambush in the southern Philippines, the military said Saturday.

The military said troops were patrolling the village of Manurigao in Compostela Valley's New Bataan when New People's Army rebels detonated a landmine.
The explosion was followed by a volley of enemy gunfire that sparked a firefight that lasted more than 30 minutes. A military report said one of its casualties was an army lieutenant.

“This most recent act of the communist NPAs clearly speaks of the true nature of these inhuman criminals; they indiscriminately use landmines despite the threat that it poses to the innocent civilians. Though the provisions of the Geneva Convention on the use of landmines does not apply to them because they are plain and simple terrorists, we cannot help but complain with the effects of these landmines to the rights of innocent lives that were caught and affected in the middle of their atrocities.”

“The communist NPAs have been hiding in the issues of human rights utilizing their front organization ‘Karapatan’ to protect their cause but obviously, they have long been using landmines that inflicted severe human rights violations to innocent civilians,” Captain Michael Aquino, of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, said in a statement.

He identified the slain soldiers as 2nd Lt. Jefrey Domingo, Cpl. Anthony Maglantay, Pfc. Jose Membrillos and Jessis Cino and Pvt. Hasjil Mohamadnur and Philip Narval. And named the wounded as Pfc. Bernie Espanola and Castro Diocolano and Pvt. Jorolie Fabay.

The NPA, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has vowed to launch more attacks against military targets despite the government's ongoing offensive in Mindanao.

President Gloria Arroyo ordered the military to finish off the rebels, who are fighting for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country, before her she steps down on 2010.

Rigoberto Sanchez, a rebel spokesman, said government soldiers are no much to the guerrilla warfare the NPA is campaigning in the South. He said what the military is doing is to "shock and terrorize" civilians caught in the middle of the government's campaign against the NPA.

But the military campaign has displaced thousands of villagers in Mindanao, particularly in Compostela Valley and nearby provinces. There were also many reports of human rights violations by soldiers.

The Exodus for Justice and Peace (EJP), an alliance of various human rights groups, church and health organizations, in Mindanao on Saturday urged the government to ensure the safety of civilians.

It cited a recent operation by soldiers against rebels from a village called Kalinugan in Monkayo town where civilians could get caught in crossfire.

"The military can not simply say that their operations are legitimate and collateral damages are inevitable. There is no justification to anything they do that endangers the lives of the people," said Rev. Jurie Jaime, a member of the EJP who heads the Promotion of Church and People's Response.

"We are also receiving reports of harassments and other violations committed against the rights of innocent civilians in some parts of Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental as results of the military's intensified anti-insurgency operations," he said.

Rebel leaders broke off peace talk with the Arroyo government in 2004 after accusing Manila of reneging on its commitments to free all political prisoners and to put a stop to political killings, among others.

The United States and the European Union listed the Communist Party of the Philippines and the NPA, including its political arm, the National Democratic Front, as foreign terrorist organizations on Manila's prodding. (Mindanao Examiner)