Catholic Church given ‘open line’ to police amid killings
THE Philippine National Police (PNP) has assured the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) of an “open line” in the event that its priests were threatened.
“We just assured them [of]an open line, anything they need, if they fear for their lives, if the feel threatened alam naman nila (they already know) where they can contact us,” PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde said in a meeting with the CBCP for the first time on Thursday.
Fr. Jerome Secillano, CBCP executive secretary for the public affairs committee, said that the exchange of personal numbers with the director general of PNP was a big thing because the Church knows that it could easily ask for help when needed.
“For example, I found a threat about my life, I would ask the PNP chief to validate the threat. This is a huge thing for priests,” Secillano said.
Albayalde also clarified with the CBCP that the 246 priests and ministers who were reported to have requested for permits to carry guns did not increase in number and that some of them used guns for “practical shooting,” which was a hobby for some.
The meeting between Albayalde and the CBCP comes amid a spate of killings of priests over the last six months.
Fr. Richmond Nilo from Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija was shot dead by motorcycle-riding gunmen while preparing for Mass at a village chapel on June 10.
The primary suspect of the priest’s murder Adell Milan was caught four days after the killing, but Milan’s relatives and family said that the Nueva Ecija police got the wrong guy.
Other victims were Fr. Mark Anthony Ventura from Gattaran town, Cagayan in April and Fr. Marcelito Paez of Jaen town, also on Nueva Ecija in December 2017.
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