HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
God’s ‘Apostles’
Under Siege
It has only been three weeks since one of their brethren
was gunned down but four priests of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI
or Philippine Independent Church) in Tarlac found themselves in danger of
meeting the same fate. One of them in fact barely escaped an attack,
proving that living the church’s teaching of helping the poor is risky in
the Philippines.
BY DABET CASTAÑEDA
Bulatlat
PANIQUI, Tarlac
– Fr. Mario Quince, parish priest of Barangay (village) Balaoang, this
town, survived an assassination attempt just a few minutes past midnight
last April 1 after attending the Passover Seder Celebration at the Aglipay
Central Theological Seminary (ACTS) in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan.
Together with
three other Iglesia Filipina Indepediente (IFI) priests in Tarlac, Fr.
Mario is a keen supporter of the striking workers of Hacienda Luisita and
actively provides humanitarian services to other victims of human rights
violations in their province.
In an interview
with Bulatlat, he said it was exactly 12:45 a.m. when he arrived at
the parish church alone. He parked his red jeep in front of the gate, left
the vehicle’s engine and lights on and stepped out to open the gate.
Realizing it was padlocked, Fr. Mario decided to climb the gate and enter
through the bell tower’s window.
When he was
about to enter the window, Fr. Mario said he saw three men on board a
black motorcycle arrive in front of the church. One of the men stepped
down, tried to get something from the right side of his waist and opened
the door of the prelate’s jeep.
Judging that
the men were after him, Fr. Mario crept inside the bell tower, passed by
the kitchen and switched on the light downstairs. It was then that he
heard three successive gunshots fired in front of the parish.
He then heard
the motorcycle leave. To find out if the men had really left, he peeped
from the window and saw two other men on board a tricycle arrive. The two
men stayed in front of the parish for about five minutes and then left.
An unidentified
IFI member who lives a few houses away from the church told Bulatlat
that she was awakened by a tricycle that passed by her house. At about
the same time, a similar vehicle arrived in front of the church. She said
she even went outside to see where the vehicle was headed.
“Nakita ko
yung tricycle na kulay pula, naka-parada sa harap ng parokya. May dalawang
tao sa loob” (I saw a red tricycle parked in front of the church.
There were two men inside), she said.
According to
Fr. Maria, it took at least an hour before he could go outside and park
his jeep in the garage.
Order of Battle
Five IFI
priests in this province have reportedly been in the military’s Order of
Battle (OB) since middle of last year. They are Fr. Mario, Fr. Greg
Lacanaria, Fr. Marcial Bautista, Fr. William Tadena and Bishop Alberto
Ramento. They have been allegedly accused of supporting New People’s Army
(NPA) guerillas. Tadena was killed March 13 this year after saying mass in
La Paz town by unknown gunmen.
Fr. Mario said
a top Tarlac provincial official confirmed that they were in the list but
the Northern Luzon (Nolcom) Command of the Philippine Army denies this.
Harassment
Fr. Mario said
he has experienced continuous harassment and intimidation even before the
April 1 incident.
In random
interviews with IFI members who live near the parish in Balaoang, they
confirmed that several people disguised as taho (soya) vendors
frequently asked about Fr. Mario’s whereabouts.
“Iisa lang
ang magtataho dito sa amin, suki namin yun kaya kilala namin” (There
is only one taho vendor in this area and we know him), one of the
parishioners said. However, after the massacre of striking workers in
Hacienda Luisita on Nov. 16 last year, the parishioners said different men
have been selling taho in the area while asking questions about
their parish priest. Some of the members further said that during the Holy
Week, motorcycle and tricycle riding men also frequented the parish
inquiring about the same.
Detachment
Fr. Mario’s
experience is not an isolated case. In Barangay Sulipa, Gerona town, the
Barangay Hall was turned into a military detachment early morning on April
5. It is only about 50 meters away from the IFI parish where Rev. Deacon
Gilbert Garcia is the officer-in-charge.
In an interview
with Deacon Gilbert, he said he immediately inquired about the presence of
the military from Barangay Captain Prisco Ramos who told him that the
12-man military squad would be staying in the area for five months.
“May misyon kami” (We are on a mission), the village chief quoted the
military as saying. The soldiers identified themselves as belonging to the
69th Infantry Battalion (IBPA) and came all the way from
Isabela, more than 160 kms north of Tarlac.
According to
Deacon Gilbert, this sent chills not only to him but more so to IFI
members in the village.
He has been the
parish OIC for only six months, the deacon said, but harassment has been
frequent. He said burly men have been roaming around the parish at night,
knocking at the parish gate or throwing stones at the roof.
Tinapa
(smoked fish) vendors on board tricycles have also been frequenting the
place, telling residents they are workers from Hacienda Luisita and
inquiring about Deacon Gilbert’s whereabouts.
Fr. Greg and
Fr. Marcial experience similar harassment, the deacon added.
Encumbered
The spate of
harassment has led the parish priests to take precautionary measures.
“Hindi biro
ang mga pananakot na ginagawa sa amin” (The threats are no laughing
matter), Fr. Mario said while admitting that the harassment has hindered
them from performing some of their tasks in the village. “Minsan
napipilitan na kaming tumanggi sa mga paanyaya lalo na pag gabi”
(Sometimes we are forced to decline some of the invitations especially at
night), he added.
But Fr. Mario
also expressed his gratitude to his parish members who have been very
supportive of him and added that despite the threats to his life, he has
opted to stay in the village. “Hindi ko naman pwedeng iwanan ang
parokya” (I couldn’t leave the parish), he said. Bulatlat
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