‘Against Catholic teachings’: Youth groups surprised with CBCP joining NTF-Elcac

MANILA, Philippines — At least two youth groups expressed surprise and concern about the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) decision to join the government’s anti-communist insurgency task force, saying that such a move contradicts Catholic teachings.

In a statement on Friday, the Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP) questioned why the CBCP is looking to participate in the activities of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac), when the said body has “attacked” religious leaders and community organizers, as well as linked them to communist rebels.

“Given the news of CBCP’s said membership in the NTF-ELCAC, we warn against the devilish agenda of the NTF-ELCAC, especially with its habit of attacking religious leaders and community organizers who advocate for our democratic rights such as right to land and livable wage as way of manifesting our faith that does justice,” SCMP national chairperson Kej Andres said.

“We continue to condemn to high heavens the invasive tactics of NTF-ELCAC to militarize and infiltrate civilian authorities. The agency has also been a den of malicious lies that has spewed red-tagging of individuals from beauty queens to high-ranking church people. We hope that the Church would continue to be a safe space for the least, lost, and the last,” he added.

Andres said that SCMP will wait for the CBCP’s explanation, but they also wish that the body would realize that several key figures of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines have stood up against abusive governments while several of its members have allegedly died at the hands of state forces.

“As we wait for an official statement from the CBCP, we hope that they would reach a discernment that reflects the long-standing tradition of Roman Catholics that have stood up against tyranny, most famously, (Jaime) Cardinal Sin’s clarion call to inspire the EDSA uprising,” the SCMP leader said.

Similarly, the House of Representatives’ Kabataan party-list expressed shock upon learning that CBCP had joined forces with the NTF-Elcac.

“The youth are shocked to hear that CBCP is now a member of NTF-Elcac, especially since it has been notorious in supposed violation of human rights, up to their attacks against church leaders. They remain to be the biggest obstacle to human rights and peace talks in our country,” the party-list group said in Filipino, in a separate statement.

“Clearly, the ELCAC and what it stands for goes against the basic teachings of the Catholic faith.  We ask the CBCP to openly state its position on this matter so that the public knows why they decided this way,” they added.

Kabataan also accused the task force of using the church’s image to make NTF-Elcac advocacies more appealing to the public.

“Now, even they want to control the private sector and the church — even if we have a separation of Church and State — so that their image would be deodorized and to use religion and the Catholic community for surveillance, red-tagging and other attacks against ordinary citizens,” Kabataan said.

“Even if church leaders align with them, it is clear in the construct of Executive Order No. 70 that NTF-Elcac is irreformable,” it added.

On Thursday, NTF-Elcac Executive Director and Undersecretary Ernesto Torres said that CBCP is joining their cause in a bid to reorganize and expand the task force to create a more holistic approach toward ending the local insurgency.

CBCP will be represented by Bishop Reynaldo Evangelista at the NTF-Elcac, with Father Jerome Secillano as his alternate.

“When we first approached the CBCP leadership, we were accepted warmly. We did not have a problem with them, in fact, they already accepted to cooperate with us because we were able to explain to them, about the program of the government,” Torres said.

“We are a very religious country, so if I’m not mistaken, more than 80 percent of our population is Catholic or Christian, so the organization could be felt down to the barangays and even sitios. So they are organized as such, so with them on our side, it would be a lot easier for us to disseminate, to cascade the information, the good news of the government to those living in far-flung areas,” he added.

During the term of former president Rodrigo Duterte, the agency drew flak for supposedly being careless in linking people from all walks of life — labor unions, writers, journalists, activists, and even celebrities — to the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).

READ: Parlade says sorry after remark vs red-tagged journalist

This practice has led to lawsuits against its officials, particularly former spokespersons retired Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade and former undersecretary Lorraine Badoy.

READ: Group takes Parlade’s ‘red-tagging activities’ to Supreme Court

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