By BENJIE OLIVEROS Analysis Bulatlat.com MANILA — Buried under the news of the devastation caused by two storms Ondoy and Pepeng is an equally alarming development — the killing of a parish priest the Reverend Cecilio Lucero in Northern Samar. Father Lucero was ambushed by heavily armed men suspected to be soldiers last September 6…
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In Historic Gathering, Filipino Priests Vow to Be More Active in ‘Political Realm’
By MARYA SALAMAT
It what appears to be a challenge to the assertions of conservative groups and the government that the Church should not be involved in politics and the “affairs of the state,” Catholic priests from all over the country — in a historic first — gathered to discern and discuss their role amid these turbulent times.
‘Northern Samar Is Becoming a Killing Field’
By MARYA SALAMAT
According to Monsignor Walter Cerbito of the diocese of Catarman, Northern Samar, nobody is safe anymore in his province, not even priests, as the militarization intensifies. The murder of the Reverend Cecilio Lucero only underscored the worsening human-rights violations there.
A murder and an abduction in Northern Samar
Ruth Gecaro, barangay treasurer of Somoroy, Lope de Vega, in Northern Samar, was supposed to provide witnesses to a fact-finding team on the murder of Father Cecilio Lucero, the parish priest of Catubig, Northern Samar. Two days before the fact-finding team arrived in Samar, Gecaro was abducted by men believed to be soldiers. She remains missing.
Marked for Death: Brutal Murder of Samar’s Father Lucero Linked to Oplan Bantay Laya
By RITCHE T. SALGADO
Even with the memory of the Reverend Cecilio Lucero’s death still fresh in the minds of the people of Northern Samar, the military continues to implement the counter-insurgency program in the province, targeting civilians.
Groups, Clergy Condemn Murder of Samar Priest, Peasant Activist
“Most martyrs of the Church who actively denounced the abuses of government officials and military forces received series of death threats and were tagged as communists or NPA supporters by military,” said Nardy Sabino, secretary-general of the Promotion of Church People’s Response.
Priest Who Advocated Human Rights, Peasant Activist Murdered in Eastern Visayas
By RONALYN V. OLEA
The murders of peasant activist Romulo Mendova and Father Cecilio Lucero, both of Eastern Visayas, have been blamed on the military’s Oplan Bantay Laya. In the case of Lucero, he had been publicly denounced by President Arroyo as “that communist priest,” according to the NDF. It is said that he was the first priest to have been murdered in Samar since Catholicism was introduced in the province 400 years ago.