Reds join mourning for Bishop Labayen

LUCENA CITY—The communist movement in the Philippines is mourning the death of former Infanta Bishop Julio Xavier Labayen, who waged a relentless campaign to protect the poor and the oppressed during martial law.

“Bishop Labayen exuded his love for the poor and the oppressed,” said Luis Jalandoni, chair of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines and former priest, in a statement.

Jalandoni said Labayen established social action centers throughout the country when the bishop became the first national director of the National Secretariat for Social Action (Nassa) of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. Labayen led Nassa from 1966 to 1982.

“These social action centers became strong pillars for organizing the poor and oppressed masses to struggle for social justice and defy the Marcos regime,” said Jalandoni.

Jalandoni also credited Labayen with the emergence of “basic Christian communities,” as head of the Church’s social action program.