Bishops alarmed over latest hike in drug-related killings

Malolos Bishop Jose Oliveros expressed his concern over the surge in the number of drug-related killings in his diocese.

“We are all concerned about the number of drug related killings in the province because they are mostly, if not all, extra judicial killings,” the prelate was quoted as saying in a report posted on the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website.

“We do not know the motivation of the police why they had to do the killings in one day, maybe to impress the President who wanted more,” he added.

He was referring to the recent spike in derug-related killings, particularly in Manila where suspects were shot dead afte they allegedly resisted arrest.

Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David said during the Marcos dictatorship “communist” was the “convenient label and justification” for abductions and killings.

“Now, it’s ‘drug suspects’. I don't know of any law in any civilized society that says a person deserves to die because he or she is a "drug suspect,” he added.

The incoming CBCP Vice President warned those who support killings of criminal suspects.

“You might be surprised to find your name in the list one of these days. Anyone can be listed as a ‘drug suspect,” he said.

Meanwhile, Oliveros suggested that drug suspects be made to undergo rehabilitation.

“I wish the government would give priority to the rehabilitation program and treat drug addiction more as a sickness rather than a crime," he said. — BAP, GMA News