Aglipayan bishops ask Duterte to end red-tagging, other attacks

Leaders of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) or Aglipayan church wrote an open letter to President Rodrigo Duterte asking him to put an end to red-tagging and other attacks allegedly affecting their members in Mindanao.

"In the last six months, our Church, the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, and church leaders, along with peasants, workers, lumad, media people, teachers and people's lawyers, are being attacked through red tagging, vilification, surveillance, harassment and intimidation and worse, killings," the letter posted on their Facebook page read.

Highways and walls of churches have been desecrated with graffiti maligning the IFI and its two leaders, Bishop Antonio Ablon of Pagadian and Bishop Felixberto Calang of Cagayan de Oro.

The Aglipayan leaders also condemned an alleged attack last February 22 involving a supposed hit list bearing names of several individuals including Fr. Rolando Abejo, Fr. Khen Apus, Fr. Chris Ablo, and journalist Cong Corrales.

"This baseless and malicious accusation strongly believed to be orchestrated by state forces has openly identified these people as members of the CPP-NPA- NDFP (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines)," the letter said.

The letter was posted after Aglipayan bishops gathered in Cagayan de Oro City for a conferential meeting with Obispo Máximo Rhee Timbang from on Monday and Tuesday.

"We as episcopal leaders of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente in Mindanao are very much alarmed that wanton extra judicial killings may fall on our church leaders," the bishops wrote.

"We likewise have active church lay leaders who now fear for their lives and security. They are constantly under surveillance and are possible subject to warrantless arrest," they added. — BAP, GMA News