A Catholic bishop in the central Philippines said Filipinos must continue to speak out against killings and other forms of human rights abuses.
Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos in the province of Negros urged the faithful to reflect on “despotic killings” and become human rights defenders.
“We must continue to speak because silence kills,” said the prelate. “We must not be afraid to continue doing what is right.”
The bishop made the call in a statement released August 17 for the culmination of the “Stop the Killings Week” in Negros Occidental province.
The day also marked a year since the brutal killing in Bacolod City of Zara Alvarez, a human rights activist and staff of the Church Workers Solidarity group.
The diocese concluded the weeklong “days of action to stop killings” by its church bells.
Bishop Alminaza said there are about 123 cases of unsolved “extrajudicial killings” recorded in Negros province since President Rodrigo Duterte came to power in 2016.
This year alone, 17 people were killed in Negros between January to May.
“More than two years since we started, we continue to ring the church bells, since even until today, the killings have not stopped,” said the prelate.
