Stop the violence, says bishop after murder of Albay village officials

Bishop Joel Baylon of the Diocese of Legazpi asked government forces and the New People’s Army (NPA) to halt violence after the recent murder of a village chief and her treasurer in broad daylight.

Village chief Luzviminda “Kap Ida” Dayandante and treasurer Albert Orlina of Batbat village in Guinobatan town were gunned down by unidentified assailants while heading back home on September 21.

“We appeal for a cessation of violence from all sides who bear arms. Peace and security cannot be achieved at the expense of justice and human rights. When armed groups clash in communities, without regard for rule of law and the dignity of persons, it is poor and vulnerable residents who suffer the most,” Baylon said in a pastoral letter Saturday evening.

Baylon also sent his condolences to Dayandante and Orlina’s family and friends.

According to Baylon, Dayandante and Orlina were dedicated public servants of Barangay Batbat. In the afternoon they were killed, they were coming home after a day’s work of helping a constituent go to a hospital to give birth and meeting with the mayor to discuss their barangay’s concerns.

Baylon said Dayandante is also an active lay leader in Saint Vincent Ferrer Parish, Mauraro, Guinobatan, serving concurrently as chair of their barangay pastoral council.

“People who knew her attest to her quiet faith in God, humble service to the Church, and passionate commitment to the people under her care. A few days before her death, she complained of being ‘red-tagged’ or accused of being an NPA supporter and CPP member by some soldiers who were staying in their barangay, a charge she vehemently denied,” Baylon said.

Human rights groups have raised the alarm about a rise in red-tagging, or the labeling of activists and journalists as communists, under the Duterte government, capturing the attention of no less than the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. – Rappler.com