Catholic church leaders in the Philippines appealed aid for help in behalf of children who have been “deeply traumatized and profoundly wounded” by the government’s “war” against illegal drugs.
The church leaders made the plea following the release of a report by Human Rights Watch on the impacts of the “war on drugs” on children.
Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan said life has been particularly difficult for children who experienced “inexplicable loss” because of the killings.
The Diocese of Kalookan has been providing assistance to families and children of those who have been killed in the “drug war.”
Bishop David said the diocese has put up a scholarship program for orphaned children and organized widows into a support group for families of victims of drug-related killings.
The prelate said counseling and psychosocial interventions revealed “deep resentment in children and other family members and a desire for revenge.”
Bishop David said it is probably because they “feel helpless” about having any chance to obtain justice.
“It is this cycle of violence we wish to avoid by providing therapy and support groups for them,” he said.
“For mercy’s sake,” Bishop Arturo Bastes, retired prelate of Sorsogon. He said President Rodrigo Duterte must “give the order to stop the killings because of drugs.”
The prelate said that since government authorities “are responsible for the death of the parents of these children, [they] must provide home and education for them.”
The prelate noted that the Church has been helping families of the victims “but as of now the resources of the Church are very limited.”
He said an orphanage in the Diocese of Sorsogon, which extends help to children, “is totally dependent on foreign aid, which is becoming less and less.”
Redemptorist Father Amado Picardal said it is saddening to know that “the killings continue even during this time of the pandemic.”
“The fatality rate of the coronavirus is nothing compared to the over 30,000 deaths attributed to extrajudicial killings, which left so many orphans helpless especially during the lockdown,” he said.
He called on Catholics to extend “whatever aid they can give” because “this government is incapable of addressing the plight of the people much less the children orphaned [by the war on drugs].”
In its report, Human Rights Watch interviewed 49 people, including 10 children, 23 parents, relatives, or guardians, and 16 government officials, nongovernmental organization staff members, and community leaders.
It documented the impact of 23 “drug war” killings on the victims’ families in six cities and provinces across the country.
