When Prophets are Silenced

‘No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s own life for one’s friends.’ - John 15. 13

We, Bishops of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, join our hearts in prayers as we humbly offer to the God of Justice, Truth and Peace, the life of our brother, Alberto B. Ramento.

The Church mourns the violent death of her son, a man of God who selflessly dedicated his life loving his neighbor and serving the people. However, the greatest testimony to the life of Bishop Ramento is found in his death.

Known as the ‘Bishop of the Poor Peasants and Workers’, Bishop Ramento embodied the spirituality of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, a spirituality that celebrates the patriotic and democratic aspirations of the Filipino people and testifies to her faith and hope in Christ.

We are convinced that his murder was the consequence of his principled engagement with the Filipino people’s struggle for the fullness of life. The Church is strongly convinced that his brutal death is part of the worsening cases of extra-judicial killings in the country. We condemn this act of terror perpetrated against a man of the cloth murdered within the sanctuary of his own Church. We condemn militarization and make a stand against this attack on church people.

We lament over the grievous attempts to mislead the people into believing that Bishop Ramento’s murder is but a case of ‘simple robbery with homicide.’ We express our concern over the Philippine National Police (PNP) making a hasty conclusion of the case and have the impression that the police is being coerced to protect the powerful people who are behind Bishop Ramento’s death.

Not long ago, the AFP maliciously named the Iglesia Filipina Independiente 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’.

Hence, we have strong reasons to believe that what befell our brother bishop, as well as the countless unresolved political killings, the blatant attacks on democratic rights and civil liberties, as well as the continuing harassment of our other bishops and priests, is not without the knowledge of the GMA government and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). We reiterate our call for the GMA government to stop the extra-judicial killings and bring to an end these atrocities committed against the people.

We strongly call for the creation of an independent multi-sectoral investigating body to probe into the situation of human rights violations in the Philippines, including the case of Bishop Ramento’s brutal murder with the purpose of bringing the perpetrators into justice.

We also call on the faithful and the people to denounce the escalation of political repression and extra-judicial killings in the country, to remain vigilant against state terrorism, and to defend our democratic rights as citizens of the country.

We pray for strength to withstand these acts of aggressions and assaults committed against our bishops and priests. We continue to entrust ourselves to the Spirit to help us hold on to our hope in Jesus Christ and steadfastly proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom even before the face of death.

Lastly, we pray to God that the death of Alberto, our brother bishop, a martyr for peace, will not be in vain but give courage to the people to continue struggle for justice and peace in the world.

JUSTICE FOR BISHOP ALBERTO B. RAMENTO,

JUSTICE FOR ALL VICTIMS OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL KILLINGS

Pro Deo et Patria,

† MOST REVD GODOFREDO J. DAVID
Obispo Maximo

12th October 2006
City of Manila

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,

† THE MOST REVEREND GODOFREDO J. DAVID
11th Obispo Maximo

04th October 2006
City of Manila