Manila (AsiaNews/Agencies) - In an unusually harsh (so far) statement, Mgr Jose Cabantan, bishop of Malaybalay, capital of Bukidnon province (Mindanao), has condemned the killing of Mario Okinlay, mayor of Impasug-ong.
For the first time, a Filipino prelate has spoken out on an issue that touches the decades-old insurgency involving the New People's Army (NPA), the paramilitary force of the country's Communist Party, stressing that the diocese "does not espouse violence as a means to achieve [social] justice and peace".
"We condemned the killing of Mayor Mario Okinlay and all extra-judicial killings that happened in our diocese," the bishop said. Only "God is the owner of our lives" and "Nobody is given the right to take someone else's life".
Last week the NPA claimed responsibility for the mayor's death. The guerrilla group has been fighting an insurgency since the late 1960s. For Filipino, US and EU authorities, it is a terrorist organisation.
In an official statement, a spokesperson for the NPA North-Central Mindanao Region said that the mayor was killed for his "counter-revolutionary activities in the guise of peace and development". The murder took place on 2 July during an operation by the guerrilla movement. The victim was shot by a sniper
Mgr Jose Cabantan (pictured) slammed the prevailing logic of violence and terror in no uncertain terms.
"We dream of a place," he said, "where we are not afraid to walk in the night and where we can sleep peacefully". Indeed, there "will never be peace and justice until we know justice and peace in our hearts".
Citing Pope Francis, the prelate slammed those who keep alive the logic of violence and conflict, driven by "idols and personal interests." Instead, people should not to lose hope but go on in order "to achieve the goals of peace and justice" in a "non-violent" way.