The heads of two of the country’s top Catholic academic institutions have expressed alarm over the spate of killings amid the administration’s ongoing war against drugs and criminality.
Reacting to the death of alumnus and faculty member Emmanuel Jose “Em-J” Pavia, Ateneo de Manila University President Fr. Jett Villarin, SJ condemned the prevailing culture of death, saying that the rising drug-related deaths should compel the country to “examine our situation” and “respond in the light of our common faith.”
READ: Ateneo mourns murder of HS math teacher
“We recognize the willful efforts of government, the private sector and civil society to rid our communities of this drug menace and to institute measures that protect persons and property from such violence,” Villarin said in a statement.
“Christian faith tells us that Jesus came so that all may have life and have it more abundantly (Jn 10,10). Because of the fundamental Gospel value and sanctity of each person’s life, the death of anyone regardless of virtue cannot but diminish us, and any society or culture that encourages and multiplies death cheapens life for everyone,” he added.
The 24-year-old Pavia, an Ateneo High School math teacher, was shot dead on his way home last week by an unidentified gunman. Marikina police said they were looking into the possibility that Pavia’s death may be related to his anti-drugs advocacy.
READ: Ateneo HS teacher and anti-drug advocate shot dead in Marikina
Villarin said the Ateneo community “find resonance with the sentiments of our friends from the La Sallian community on this pressing concern.”
In a pastoral letter last week, De La Salle Philippines president Br. Jose Mari Jimenez FSC lamented the lack of a “significant public outcry” against the spate of killings, which he called a “blatant contempt for the human life and the rule of law.”
“This disregard for the inalienable value of human life and the public silence that gives tacit support for such disregard does not bode well for the vision of a just and humane society enshrined in our Constitution. What these extrajudicial killings demonstrate is how desperate many people have become in the face of the issues of drugs and criminality,” Jimenez wrote.
“We need to remind everyone that if we want a just and peaceful society, our means must partake of our ends. You cannot build a culture that respects life while relying principally on the instruments of death,” he added.
Jimenez said public order and a peaceful society could not be attained by denying suspected drug perpetrators their right to life and due process.
“Thus, while we resonate with our government’s desire to address in a resolute way the problems of crime, drug-addiction and corruption, we need to insure that this is done within the framework of the law and the principles of human dignity and the common good enshrined in both our Constitution and in Catholic Social Teaching,” he added.
Both Villarin and Jimenez also called on the members of their respective academic communities to oppose the proposed reinstatement of death penalty and the lowering of the age of criminal liability, which are part of the majority-led Congress’ legislative agenda.
“At the advent of a new administration, the hope of authentic social change and personal transformation is raised before us once more. These cannot be truly achieved with fear as primary motivation or retribution as auxiliary deterrent. If real change is to happen, it can only come when we hold before us the value and sanctity of every person’s life,” Villarin said.
As of July 28, the Inquirer’s “Kill List” notes 467 deaths of suspected criminals since May 10, or a day after President Rodrigo Duterte won the elections. JE
READ: THE KILL LIST