Cardinal Ambo seen as link between Pope, drug war victims’ kin

‘SHARED MISSION’ Then Bishop Pablo Virgilio “Ambo” David has an audience with Pope Francis in Rome in 2019. —Facebook photo

MANILA, Philippines — The appointment of Bishop Pablo Virgilio “Ambo” David, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president, as cardinal has given some people hope that the thousands of Filipinos killed during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war will finally be brought to the attention of Pope Francis.

“I believe that the newly designated cardinal would be able to raise again the issue of drug war to the Holy Father, who could offer prayers, among other things, to help the thousands of families who are still healing and seeking justice,” said Fr. Flavie Villanueva, who runs a support group for the families of drug war victims.

Villanueva first met David, who heads the Kalookan diocese, in August 2017 in the wake of Kian delos Santos. The 17-year-old boy, whom the police claimed was a drug runner, was among the 6,000 killed in what the police claimed were legitimate operations. A year later, a court ruled that Delos Santos had no involvement in illegal drugs and convicted three Caloocan City policemen for his murder.

READ: Pope Francis appoints Kalookan Bishop David as cardinal

Villanueva and David would afterward constantly exchange information about other victims of extrajudicial killings, mostly men who were their families’ breadwinners, and come up with ways to aid their kin.

Poorest of the poor

Aside from introducing several community-based drug rehabilitation programs in his diocese, David was also instrumental in establishing the Dambana ng Paghilom (Shrine of Healing) at La Loma Cemetery in Caloocan City. The memorial site, built on land donated by the diocese, serves as a resting place for drug war victims.

Pasig Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara, CBCP vice president, said the Pope’s appointment of David was “consistent with his selection of cardinals who reach out to the peripheries.”

In particular, Vergara noted David’s formation of several mission stations within his diocese “to better serve the poorest of the poor.”

Of the more than 1.3 million residents in the Kalookan diocese, including the southern part of Caloocan, Navotas, and Malabon, a significant number are informal settlers.

When Duterte launched the drug war at the start of his term in 2016, David decried how his diocese had turned into a “killing field,” as many of the victims came from those cities.

‘Cut from the same cloth’

His frequent criticism of the drug war earned him death threats and even the ire of Duterte, resulting in the filing of sedition charges against him and other church leaders, although the case was later dropped.

Kapatid, a group composed of families and friends of political prisoners, called the prelate their “new pilgrim of hope.”

“Bishop Ambo’s commitment to the poor and defenseless, including the victims of the drug war under the Duterte administration, is cut from the same cloth as Pope Francis’ dedication to social justice and the marginalized. The two are so much alike in their convictions, reflecting a shared mission,” Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim said.

The 65-year-old David, who was among the 21 new cardinals announced by the Holy Father on Oct. 6, will be appointed during a ceremony known as a consistory on Dec. 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

He will join 122 of the 236 cardinals under the age of 80 who are eligible to participate in a future conclave to elect a new Pope.