Arroyo Regime is Responsible for Bishop Ramento’s Murder : QC IMC

The Communist Party of the Philippines, together with the entire Philippine revolutionary movement, condemns in the strongest terms possible the brutal and ruthless killing of Bishop Alberto Ramento, chairperson of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) Supreme Council of Bishops, human rights stalwart, critic of social injustice and fighter for people’s interests. Bishop Ramento, who was found dead with several stab wounds inside his parish church in Tarlac City before dawn Tuesday, was brutally and heineously murdered. We hold the Arroyo regime responsible for Bishop Ramento’s murder.

Prior to his death, Ramento had been actively involved in various organizations and movements advocating human rights, social justice especially for the working class and downtrodden, civil liberties and genuine peace. He was co-chair of the Ecumenical Bishops Forum, chaired the Promotion of Church People's Response-Central Luzon and Karapatan-Tarlac, and various church and cause-oriented organizations. He was an ardent supporter of the Hacienda Luisita strikers. He was also a very vocal and influencial critic of the Arroyo regime. In the period before he was killed, Bishop Ramento was ardent at work in exposing, documenting and lambasting the spate of political killings, abductions and other gross human rights violations committed by the Arroyo regime. He was also a strong opponent of the Arroyo regime’s “Cha-cha Express.”

It is because of their political and conscientization work that Bishop Ramento and his fellow human rights and social justice advocates in the IFI and other church and people’s organizations earned the ire of the Arroyo regime. Bishop Ramento and the IFI were considered by the military as sympathizers of the CPP and the New People’s Army and “enemies of the state.” The AFP-Northern Luzon Command had issued statements and disseminated video documentaries that specifically identified the IFI as among the churches “infiltrated by communists.”

In the middle of 2005, there was exact informatiomn from a direct source in the military that a number of IFI priests have been placed in the military’s Order of Battle (OB), meaning that they were targets “for elimination/neutralization.” Among those targeted are Fr. Mario Quince, parish priest of Paniqui; Fr. Gregorio Lacanaria, parish priest of Victoria, Tarlac; Fr. Marshal Bautista, parish priest of Pura, Tarlac; Fr. William Tadena, parish priest of La Paz, Tarlac; and Bishop Alberto Ramento—all of whom have been vigorously supporting the HLI strikers. Fr. Tadena was killed by a military death squad in March 13 that year. Earlier, Fr. Allan Caparro and his wife, Ailyn Cana-Caparro of the IFI in Biliran, Leyte and Samar diocese of the IFI were also ambushed. The military also tried to recruit intelligence “assets” and informers among the church workers.

Bishop Ramento was noticeably under surveillance by two unidentified military elements at the same time Fr. Tadena was killed and since then has always been tailed by military intelligence agents. Many others in the IFI clergy and church workers, who have been advocates of progressive political and social causes, were also noticeably under military surveillance. Surveillance of the bishop by the military’s intelligence operatives has been so tight that hardly anyone else could enter his residence and go near him without their knowing it.

The Arroyo regime cannot escape responsibility for the killing of Bishop Ramento by dismissing his murder as a “simple case of robbery with homicide.” In their desperation to lend credibility to their assertion, the police has even gone to the abdurd extent of claiming that the bishop was not known to have been involved in political matters and that the crime should not be categorized as a “political killing.”

The killing of Bishop Ramento is part of the fascist rampage instigated by the regime and its fascist minions. His murder proves that the Arroyo regime has no real intention of stopping the political killings and is in fact hellbent on continuing its campaign of assassinating activists and its critiques and terrorizing the people. With Bishop Ramento’s killing, the hypocrisy of the Arroyo regime’s so-called investigation into political killings is thoroughly exposed. While Gloria Arroyo publicly condemns the killings and gives much publicity to the Melo Commission investigation, she directs her national security officers and top military and police generals to continue with her regime’s campaign of political killings and terror.

Up to his last moments, Bishop Ramento has consistently remained a true and close friend of the national democratic revolutionary movement and persisted in working for the people’s cause. The CPP, National Democratic Front and the entire revolutionary movement have the highest regard for Bishop Ramento and consider him a martyr of the Filipino people’s struggle for national freedom, democracy and social justice.