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POPs case

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Update of the Case of Fr. POPS

PIME
ARAKAN, JUNE 1, 2018

Fr. Fausto was killed on October 17, 2011. Since then many investigations were held on and off, but no conclusion in court. The new administration of President Duterte started in June 2016 and promised to reopen the case. On March 31, 2017 the Department of Justice (DOJ) appointed State Prosecutor Peter L. Ong to conduct an in-depth re-investigation with financial assistance from the Asia Foundation.

This new prosecutor reviewed all previous testimonies and new testimonies were added. He came to Arakan and Kidapawan several times with his team for ocular verification and with great skill he proved the validity of key testimonies.

The report of Prosecutor Ong was published on November 2017 and the news caused reactions both in the Philippines and abroad. The key witnesses and their families were rushed into safe houses under the Witness Protection Program (WPP) constantly guarded like prisoners. Then there was another delay until May 2018 due to the change of the DOJ secretary. Finally the new DOJ secretary Menardo Guevarra appointed a new team of prosecutors who should start their preliminary investigations this month of June and decide which of the accused will be issued warrants of arrest, then the trial in court should start soon. Also in May of this year, one of the accused proposed to give additional testimony identifying the group that planned the killing of Fr. Fausto and their motives. This may contribute to restrain such groups accustomed to killing with impunity and show that the practice of impunity may not last forever. We are grateful to the State Prosecutor Peter Ong and his team who were able to revive the case, even though we were about to abandon it as another unresolved case or a lost cause.

On the other hand, we are worried because the DOJ (Deparetement of Justice)now is giving priority to many other cases which the military filed against suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels and their supporters. This is part of the implementation of Martial Law in Mindanao, which started with the siege of Marawi and was extended up to December 2018. Many soldiers from Marawi were sent to our areas and they are now deployed in the rural communities looking for NPA rebels or supporters, while the killings of drug suspects continue in urban centers.
On January 11, 2018 the DOJ issued the list of 600 suspected terrorists. Among them many farmers and community tribal leaders, particularly in Arakan and nearby areas, including several friends of Fr. Fausto. These are civilians always seen in their farms and in community activities, but now they are accused of having participated in ambushes and attacks led by the NPA rebels. Some of them were arrested, a few killed, and many are hiding and cannot work in their farms and their families are facing starvation.

Also church people are now questioned, like Sr. Fox, an Australian nun, 27 years among the poor in Mindanao who is facing deportation for joining farmers’ rallies. In Luzon, Fr. Mark Ventura, a Diocesan priest, 27 years old, was shot near the altar after Sunday Mass on April 29, 2018. He was known for his involvements with the Indigenous People, just like Fr. Fausto. Another priest was killed in Luzon last December, Fr. Marcelito Paez, 71, killed after helping release a political prisoner.

In this context of martial law in Mindanao and killings nationwide, what significance can Fr. Fausto’s case have? We still wonder what kind of justice can be obtained for Pops, we hope to be able to clarify the real motive for his killing and identify the groups responsible. Can this also challenge more people to seek justice for many more EJK victims and Human Rights violations? After the waves of killings and the long night of martial law, we pray for the sun of justice and peace to shine in Mindanao and all over the country, particularly among the population of Tribals, Muslims and Poor Farmers and Workers who are victims of chronic injustice and unpeace.

The Diocese of Kidapawan, along with other churches and civilian sectoral representatives, have launched a Peoples’ Peace Summit last November 29, 2017 and now continue to implement the Peoples’ Peace Agenda (PPA) with concrete plans of action involving civilian sectors as peace builders. We start by proposing our PPA to all armed groups, both government and rebel forces, and to all civilian authorities. Then we ask them for their peace agenda or their initiatives or suggestions for justice and peace.

Can this gradually change the culture of conflict and violence into the culture of justice and peace? If we could only realize that all are losers in war while in peace all can be winners… We believe that we can solve peoples’ problems through dialogue and peoples’ participation and we civilians can do more for peace than all the armed groups. If we could only mobilize our human resources and if we could use the budgets that are wasted in war by both sides, then we can save many lives and we can develop communities where all can contribute for the needs and happiness of all.

We continue to pray and move heaven and earth for justice for Pops and all the EJK victims.
In the name of all Pops’ friends,
FR. PETER GEREMIA, PIME

Fu un ‘semplice omicidio’

Circa l’omicidio di padre Fausto Tentorio, sei anni fa, il Dipartimento della Giustizia (DOJ) ha ordinato di presentazione una nuova denuncia di omicidio contro due ufficiali militari e altri ancora, tra cui due membri del gruppo etnico Manobo identificati come molto vicini a Nancy Catamco, Rappresentante di Nord Cotatabo.

Descrivendolo come “nient’altro che semplice omicidio”, il vice procuratore governativo Peter Ong ha detto che la presunta affiliazione di Tentorio con i gruppi di sinistra “non è stata rilevante” nella inchiesta condotta subito dopo l’uccisione di padre Fausto il 17 ottobre 2011. Il segretario di giustizia Vitaliano Aguirre II aveva poi emanato l’ordine del Dipartimento n. 208 che dava a Ong la possibilità di riesaminare il caso dopo che l’accusa di diverse persone implicate nel delitto era stata bloccata.

“Speriamo di aver in qualche modo dato giustizia a Padre Tentorio”, ha detto Ong ai giornalisti. Ong ha detto poi che almeno 20 soldati appartenenti al 57 ° battaglione dell’esercito di stanza nella città di Makilala, nella provincia di North Cotabato, hanno preso parte alla pianificazione dell’uccisione di Tentorio, ucciso da un solo assassino all’interno del complesso della parrocchia di Arakan.

L’esercito comunista del Nuovo Popolo (NPA) e il Fronte islamico di liberazione Moro avevano precedentemente sostenuto le affermazioni dei residenti e degli operatori ecclesiastici locali che i militari avevano orchestrato l’omicidio di Tentorio.
“Non c’era il motivo di uccidere una persona che tra l’altro non era un combattente. È un semplice omicidio “, ha sottolineato Ong. “Non c’è politica (nel suo omicidio). Non ha nulla a che fare con gli NPA. È un semplice omicidio. ”

Accusati dell’omicidio sono il colonnello dell’esercito Joven Gonzales, il maggiore Mark Espiritu, Jimmy Ato, suo fratello Robert Ato, Jan Corbala, Nene Durado, Kaing Labi, Joseph Basol, Edgar Enoc, Romulo Tapgos, William Buenaflor e un certo alias Katong. I fratelli Ato sarebbero stati membri di un gruppo paramilitare chiamato “Bagani”. In precedenza Nancy Catamco aveva ammesso di aver fornito loro un avvocato. La nuova denuncia, tuttavia, dovrà ancora passare attraverso un’indagine preliminare regolare, Ong ha chiarito.

Government militia killed fr. Tentorio

SUNSTAR MANILA — Philippine government militiamen gunned down an Italian Catholic missionary in a 2011 attack, which state prosecutors said may have been carried out with the knowledge of two army commanders in the country’s south, a justice official said Friday. A Justice Department panel led by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Peter Ong recommended murder complaints to be filed against a dozen suspects, including the militiamen and two army commanders, for the October 2011 killing of Reverend Fausto Tentorio, a popular anti-mining advocate in Arakan town in North Cotabato province. The investigation report, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, overturns an earlier finding by authorities that blamed two civilians for the brazen killing, which was condemned by the Italian government and environmental activists. “He was perceived to be a sympathizer of the NPA,” Ong said of Tentorio, referring to the rebel New People’s Army, which has been waging a decades-long communist insurgency in the Philippines. “But that’s not a reason for him to be killed.” Military spokesman Major General Restituto Padilla said the military has not received a copy of the findings but stressed that it does not condone such killings or any illegal action by combat forces. He said that troops have shown their professionalism including in the enforcement of martial law in the south. “We appeal to the public not to judge our personnel until they’re proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt,” Padilla said.

The bespectacled Tentorio, who led a campaign against mining operations, which environmental activists feared could displace impoverished villagers and tribal communities, was shot several times with a pistol as he walked to his car in a church compound in Arakan, officials said. Hundreds of Arakan residents and enviromental activists showed up for his burial. The investigation cited several witnesses, including students and teachers attending a morning flag ceremony at a nearby Arakan school, who heard gunshots then later saw the suspected gunman walking away from the church compound, where Tentorio was found sprawled beside his car. The gunman fled with companions on board two motorcycles. A key witness, Danilo Bayawan, was cited in the investigation as saying that he attended a meeting called by Jan Corbala, a local leader of a militia force who discussed the planned killing of Tentorio about a week before the attack. Corbala allegedly stated that he was ordered by military officials to kill Tentorio and was given money and a motorcycle to carry out the attack, the report said, adding that Bayawan backed out of the plot and later decided to tell authorities what he knew. The killing reflected the danger foreign and local Catholic missionaries face in the volatile south, where other priests have been killed, kidnapped and wounded in attacks, including by Muslim militant groups. (AP)

Cinque anni fa … oggi

Cinque anni son passati dalla data del martirio di Fausto e la sua immagine sembra sparire all’orizzonte della nostra memoria, noi ancora a vagabondare nello scorrere lineare della vita e mi domando se si può dimenticare il passato. Alcuni dicono di sì. Eppure nella mia coscienza il passato mica passa. Vorrei ma non posso. Molte volte continuo a pensare a quello che è successo cercando di dare un senso a quello che ho sentito e veduto, cercando la verità. Non c’è niente da fare, il martirio dei nostri amici tiene sempre in scacco la nostra mente. Il tempo può fare quello che vuole, passare, rallentare o accelerare, ma ha bisogno di dimensioni spaziali per muoversi. I ritratti di Fausto e gli altri compagni oggi sono ancora lì, a volte in qualche libro, altre volte appese al frigorifero, nei calendari sul muro o conservati nella coscienza di noi che camminiamo, tiriamo avanti appunto. Presenza-con loro direi. Sono passati una decina di minuti da quando mi sono messo a scrivere ma l’immagine è ancora lì, cinque anni nello spazio insomma, come un turno di veglia nella notte, per questo posso ricordare…. oggi dopo sei anni.

Justice is slow

KIDAPAWAN, Philippines (CNS) — Justice is slow in the Philippines, but Father Peter Geremia is running out of patience as he awaits justice for the killers of a fellow priest.

Father Geremia is hoping that the country’s new president, Rodrigo Duterte, can cut through the impunity and corruption that the priest says have prevented bringing to justice the killers of Father Fausto Tentorio. The Italian missionary was shot to death on Oct. 17, 2011, just outside his parish office in the rural town of Arakan on the southern island of Mindanao, where he had helped indigenous communities organize to resist the theft of their lands by foreign mining companies, loggers, and large agro-export plantations.

Father Geremia, who was born in Italy but became a U.S. citizen in 1971 after living in the United States for more than a decade, is a member of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, as were Father Tentorio and two other priests assassinated in Mindanao. One of them, Father Tullio Favali, was murdered in 1985 by military-linked assassins who thought they were killing Father Geremia. Six men were convicted of that killing and served lengthy prison terms. But that’s not the case with Father Tentorio’s killers, who remain officially unidentified despite multiple investigations and a Byzantine trail of confessions and recantations by people with links to a paramilitary squad.

Father Geremia says the church got several key witnesses to Father Tentorio’s killing into a witness protection program, but as the case has dragged on, the witnesses have chafed at their lack of freedom. “It’s been five years since the killing, and after a while the witnesses and their families couldn’t stand it, it was like being in prison. They’d had to abandon their homes and farms and we had to support their families,” Father Geremia told Catholic News Service. The priest, who met personally with the leader of one paramilitary group linked to the killing in an unsuccessful attempt to get him to confess, is hoping things will improve under Duterte, who took office June 30. As part of the president’s pursuit of a peace deal with the National Democratic Front, in September he ordered the Philippine army to dismantle the paramilitary groups blamed for widespread repression in indigenous communities. “These groups are instruments of politicians and the military and serve as security guards for the big plantations and mining operations. They are often composed of indigenous people who’ve been manipulated by the military and armed with high-powered weapons. They have steadily taken over land and driven people out of their homes, all in an effort to destroy the tribal communities. It’s genocide,” said Father Geremia.

Asked if he knows the identity of Father Tentorio’s killers, Geremia declined to answer specifically, but said the country’s army was clearly involved. “We cannot point fingers at individuals, because they have the right to due process,” he said. “But the investigators know very well. The initial information from the National Bureau of Investigation mentions names, but they always refuse to admit the military was in control of the area. Fausto could not have been killed without their permission. When he was killed there were soldiers just a few meters away. The killers felt safe to wait for Fausto in broad daylight with the military all around. And after the killing, they just got on a motorcycle and went away without anyone asking them any questions.”

Like many church workers who have sided with indigenous communities in Mindanao, Father Geremia has endured years of harassment and threats. According to Sister Maria Luz Mallo, the executive secretary of the Sisters Association in Mindanao, Father Geremia’s commitment during 44 years of pastoral work in the Philippines has brought him unique acceptance by native communities. “Father Peter may have been born in Italy, but the blood that flows through his veins is Filipino,” she said. Sister Mallo, a member of the Missionaries of the Assumption, has provided pastoral accompaniment to indigenous families — chased out of their rural villages by paramilitary violence — who have sought refuge in a Protestant church compound in Davao. She said church workers who side with the indigenous are going to suffer. “Sometimes we are followed, and people often accuse us of being part of the NPA (communist New People’s Army), of being reds. But we are not working against the government, we are just responding to the needs of the people. And we will continue to stand as prophets even though we are red-tagged and our security is threatened. That’s part of following Christ,” she said. The struggle of Mindanao’s indigenous people, commonly known as Lumads, took a bloody turn April 1 when police opened fire on several thousand demonstrators in Kidapawan, killing three and wounding dozens more.

The protesters were indigenous and nonindigenous farmers suffering from a prolonged drought. They came to Kidapawan to pressure the provincial government to release thousands of sacks of rice that the national government had sent for their relief. It wasn’t the first such incident. During a 1992 drought, Father Geremia and several indigenous leaders were jailed for 28 days following a similar protest. A drought struck again in 1998, but the provincial government released the rice in response to farmers’ demands. During this year’s protest, Father Geremia was trying to mediate between the protesters and the government when shots rang out. As many of the demonstrators took refuge in a nearby United Methodist Church compound, Father Geremia stood at the entrance and forbade the police from entering.

In the wake of the melee, charges were filed against almost 100 of the protesters and their supporters, who in turn filed countercharges against the police and the North Cotabato provincial governor, Emmylou Talino-Mendoza, who reportedly ordered the violence. Those cases are pending in court, though Duterte reportedly has pressured to have them dropped. Valentina Berdin of Arakan was one of those charged. The 78-year-old indigenous woman was held for 11 days before her release pending trial. “We planted rice, but because of El Nino, none came up. I went to Kidapawan because the alternative was starving to death,” said Berdin, who is charged with assaulting a police officer. “I didn’t assault him. I turned myself over to him so I wouldn’t get shot,” she said.

Father Geremia said those captured by the police were the ones who could not run fast. “How insulting it is to the police that the only ones they arrested were the old women and the wounded,” he said. Although the demonstrators were unable to obtain food with their protest, Berdin said she has been offered one sack of rice and 4,000 pesos (about $82) every month if she agrees to drop the charges against the governor. Berdin says she that she and other indigenous people in Mindanao appreciate the accompaniment of church leaders like Father Geremia. “Father Peter has continued the work of Father Fausto in supporting the Lumads against the mining companies and the plantations that are trying to take our land. With Father Peter on our side, we will continue to fight for our rights,” she said.

In cammino per Fausto

A cinque anni dalla morte di Padre Fausto Tentorio, missionario del Pime ucciso nelle Filippine il 17 ottobre 2011, è ancora forte la voglia di giustizia che ha la sua gente. “Cinque anni senza giustizia. Cinque anni di un’impunità che allunga la scia di sangue: si continua a calpestare ed uccidere in nome della terra e delle su risorse a Mindanao” è la denuncia che arriva da Padre Peter Geremia, confratello ed amico di Padre Fausto.

La camminata organizzata dall’associazione “Non dimentichiamo Padre Fausto Onlus” ha infatti il duplice scopo di raccogliersi in preghiera e di informare sulla situazione nelle Filippine. Questo evento infatti si inserisce in una tre giorni – che si concluderà stasera con la messa officiata da Mons. Rolla – dedicata alla memoria del missionario ed alla raccolta fondi per sostenere i progetti che lui non ha potuto portare avanti.

Come spiegato da Don Paolo al ritrovo presso la chiesina di Bosco: “Ricordiamo la situazione a Mindanao, non permettiamo che si spengano le luci. Ancora poche settimane fa c’è stato un omicidio passato nel silenzio più completo.”.

Prima della partenza è stata letta ai presenti una lettera di Padre Peter Geremia, testimone diretto e successore nella battaglia di Padre Fausto per la giustizia: “La proliferazione di gruppi paramilitari – scrive il sacerdote – ha provocato tanti altri omicidi e causato evacuazioni di massa. Hanno costretto gli agricoltori ad abbandonare le loro terre, forzato i bambini ad abbandonare le scuole e a questo si possono aggiungere atrocità come l’omicidio del direttore dell’Alcadev School, Emerito Samarca, e di altri due leader comunitari avvenuta il 1 settembre 2015 a Surigao del Sur. Inoltre, alle popolazioni più povere sono state armi per combattere l’Npa (guerriglieri di matrice marxista). È questa la strada per risolvere il problema dell’insurrezione? Le autorità civili e tutte le organizzazioni comunitarie, comprese le chiese devono affrontare questo problema. Ci sono iniziative di dialogo in corso, molti gruppi di Mindanao si stanno mobilitando per la pace. Possiamo sperare che tutte le risorse spese, tutte le persone che si sono impegnate, tutte le preghiere e le marce possano produrre segnali concreti e dare alla pace una possibilità?” questo è il messaggio che, a cinque anni dall’uccisione di padre Fausto, è stato condiviso anche dalla comunità di S. Maria.

MERATEOnLine

Amatour per p.Fausto

padre Tentorio resta senza giustizia

Il Giorno
Padre Fausto Tentorio il missionario del Pime ucciso cinque anni fa, di DANIELE DE SALVO

Era appena uscito dalla chiesa della sua parrocchia e stava per salire in auto per recarsi ad un incontro diocesano, ma non è nemmeno riuscito ad aprire la portiera della macchina. Un killer lo ha crivellato di colpi, alla testa e alla schiena, utilizzando anche proiettili avvelenati per essere certo di ammazzarlo, per poi fuggire in sella ad una moto con un complice. Sono passati ormai cinque anni dall’uccisione di padre Fausto Tentorio, il missionario del Pime originario di Santa Maria Hoè, morto all’età di 59 anni ad Arakan, nel distretto di North Cotabato a Mindanao, nelle Filippine, dove svolgeva il suo ministero dal 1979. Era la mattina del 17 ottobre 2011, un lunedì, esattamente come lo sarà domani. Nonostante sia trascorso un lustro, i sospetti, gli arresti e le commissioni di inchiesta, non si conosce né chi abbia premuto materialmente il grilletto, soprattutto né chi siano i mandanti.

I presunti assassini sarebbero stati catturati, ma per altri delitti, mentre si sospetta che a commissionare la spedizione punitiva siano stati politici locali corrotti, o gli appartenenti a gruppi paramilitari oppure imprenditori e latifondisti stranieri o del posto per disfarsi di un religioso scomodo che ha sempre difeso i tribali del luogo, i manobo, dalle mire di chi sta rubando loro la terra per sfruttarne le ricchezze minerarie ed energetiche in quell’angolo di Asia, dove viveva in una capanna di bambù con il tetto in lamiera.Era già stato minacciato prima di quell’agguato, ma non si era arreso, era riuscito a fondare cooperative agricole, convincere i governanti a lasciare agli abitanti le loro terre, bloccare tutte le attività minerarie ed estrattive. Tra depistaggi, minacce, continui cambi e sostituzioni dei procuratori incaricati del caso diversi testimoni hanno ritrattato, mentre quelli che non si lasciano spaventare sono costretti a stare sotto scorta e cambiare spesso nascondiglio, perché ogni volta chi non dovrebbe sapere dove si trovano riesce invece a stanarli.

«Manca la volontà di risolvere il caso, solo uno dei tanti di uccisioni extragiudiziarie in quella terra», commenta sconsolato e ormai rassegnato all’idea che non si arriverà mai ad una verità Felice Tentorio, 67 anni, fratello di Tatay Pops, come lo chiamavano i suoi fedeli. Nonostante lo sconforto però chi lo ha conosciuto, i familiari e i confratelli del Pontificio istituto missioni esteri non intendono arrendersi, le manifestazioni di protesta per spingere gli investigatori a continuare ad indagare sono frequenti, come le petizioni, perché non può esserci giustizia né libertà senza verità. Ma l’importante, più delle sentenze nei tribunali, per loro è soprattutto che tutto quello che padre Fausto ha seminato non è morto con lui, non è stato distrutto, anzi i suoi progetti hanno continuato a crescere, innaffiati proprio dal suo sangue, quello di un martire del XXI secolo.

New Tribal School

Thank you for the big support!

The mountain tribal school in Patagan (taken care by Arakan Parish, Diocese of Kidapawan) is finished and the beautification of every classrooms is going on. The blessing of the new constructed building was done on June 13, 2016.  We have 7 teaching personnel with 1 school registrar /librarian and 1 school nurse with the total of 9 teaching and non-teaching personnel. Our initial enrolees from Preschool to Grade 6 are 169.

Fausto Natalizio

Il 6 luglio 2006, in uno dei rarissimi scontri con i militari in Arakan un ribelle viene ucciso e il padre di costui prega Fausto (Tentorio) di fare in modo che la salma possa essere seppellita dignitosamente. Una semplice richiesta diventa invece una cosa così complicata da portare a termine che Fausto ne scrive un lungo resoconto al computer, in Word, e nelle ultime righe commenta: “Tutto finito, eccetto naturalmente le chiacchere che quelle non finiscono mai!!! Che il prete è un supporter dei ribelli perché il morto è stato messo in parrocchia, che il prete è stato arrestato perché’ mi hanno visto alla stazione di polizia etc. etc. etc. Alcune volte mi chiedo se non è meglio che me ne stia tranquillo in parrocchia, ma non sono capace”

7 gennaio 1952. Ricordare il natalizio di Fausto e stare tranquilli in parrocchia in Arakan non è ancora possibile. In questi giorni ci si può sentire ripetere: “A che ora sarà la messa per Pops?”  Un animo semplice, anche se non è di chiesa, percepisce l’eucaristia come sorgente ciclica di memoria anche di fatti molto umani. Grande intuizione direi, tanto più che si sa dove questa memoria sfocerà.

E’ tuttavia mi domando se stiamo smarrendo la memoria di Pops. Per un verso sì e per l’altro no. Per un verso sì perché abbiamo la memoria corta e poi si è sempre meno disposti a portare il peso del suo ricordo così come descritto sopra. Beh, non solo il suo. Per un altro verso no perché parte della sua storia è stata affidata a memorie elettroniche. In un certo senso per via di un piccolo schermo il suo passato sarà più difficile da dimenticare e facile da ristampare. E mi pare sia giusto così. Ci sono eventi grandiosi e dolorosi che non si possono lasciar perdere e il computer ci aiuta a ricordarli. Starà poi a noi decidere se accedere a un documento in Word sia solo un momento di curiosità o di memoria storica. Così in una messa.