In response to the killing, Katungod-Sinirangan Bisayas-Northern Samar, a regional human-rights group based in Eastern Visayas, initiated a high profile fact-finding mission (FFM) last October 7-10, together with Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights) and the Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR). The mission was composed mainly of religious people with representatives from the Ecumenical Movement for Peace and Development (EMPD), Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, Missionaries of Jesus, the United Church of Christ in the Philippines and the Diocese of Catarman.
A Priest and Human-Rights Defender
Monsignor Walter A. Cerbito, vicar general of the Diocese of Catarman, said in an interview with Bulatlat that the diocese had reason to believe that Father Lucero’s involvement in cases of human-rights violations in Northern Samar could be the motive behind the killing.
He said Father Lucero has been active in documenting cases of human-rights abuses, especially those committed by the military. This, he said, was part of his responsibility as the head of the Justice and Human Rights Desk of the Diocesan Social Action Commission.
In fact, Father Lucero went the extra mile to conduct fact-finding missions and visited military camps to demand the surfacing of victims of abduction and forced disappearances.
Lucero and the 63rd IB
One such mission was conducted June of this year. The purpose was to verify reports of human-rights violations in remote barangays of the towns of Gamay and Palapag. These violations were allegedly perpetrated by members of the Bravo Company of the 63rd Infantry Battalion (IB) of the Philippine Army under the command of Lt. Col. Raul Cistona. The violations apparently involved mauling, arrests, abduction, harassment of residents and the murder of a certain Epong Martinico.
Father Lucero found out and reported that the cases were in fact not isolated but were “deliberate and premeditated combat strategies of the 63rd IB… aimed at civilians.”
Another case that he was handling involved the safekeeping of a survivor of an attempted extrajudicial killing in Brgy. Somoroy, Lope de Vega, once again implicating elements of the 63rd IB.
Three days prior to Father Lucero’s brutal death, his personal assistant Mely said members of the 63rd IB visited him in his parish in Catubig at around 8 in the evening. Apparently Mely overheard the mention of the town of Lope de Vega, which made her assume that they were discussing Father Lucero’s work in the area. Mely, however, is not privy to any of Father Lucero’s work on human rights.
The said meeting was also confirmed by the survivor of the Lope de Vega massacre. He told Bulatlat that after the meeting, Father Lucero informed him of the arrangements he made to have a dialogue with the 63rd IB, PA.
Threats
The Reverend Fernando M. Bogtong said they did not expect that Father Lucero would become a victim to the atrocities that he was investigating. However, Father Lucero confided with him that he had received death threats in explaining why he had a police escort.
Even with the threats, Father Lucero did not waver in his resolve to help victims because, as his sister Felisa P. Lucero-Sanico would relate, they were trained by their parents to help others selflessly.
“That is why powerful political clans in the province could not defeat us in elections even though we are strict in implementing the law,” she said, referring to her family’s involvement in local politics. Father Lucero’s two brothers are in local politics: Antonio P. Lucero is the current vice governor of Northern Samar, while Wilmar Lucero is a former Northern Samar representative.
Sanico, who is the dean of academic instruction at the University of Eastern Philippines, said Father Lucero was constantly approached by people who needed help.
She related that one time Father Lucero called up Wilmar asking him to purchase a property where evicted residents of a lot near the convent could be transferred. The property was purchased and is now called Lucero Compound.
Friendship with the Military
His kindness extended to members of the military, as well.
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No matter what we think or say, there is a need to adopt the tolerant thinking of western democracies when it comes to human rights. Likewise, there is an urgent need to educate some sectors who have the mistaken notion that equate democracy with submission of other people's ideas and actions to theirs.
I remember that back in 2001, the CPP leadership lauded the ouster of Estrada as a victory for the movement because they were part of the 'coalition' behind Edsa 2. Wonder what Sison is thinking now re the state of human rights under the successor they conspired with?
In a way, the Left who came to EDSA 2, or at least the leaders who forged the anti-Estrada coalition with the forces of Arroyo and ex-President Fidel Ramos, are indirectly responsible for the obtaining spate of disappearances and other forms of human rights violations. Arroyo, in a sense, is a big, big stone the leftists hit their own heads with.
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State of RP human rights: 1st Catholic priest killed in 400 years