Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle has called on the Filipino people to defend and value human life amid a spate of so-called extrajudicial killings under the Duterte administration.
Tagle, in an interview with Radyo Veritas, said that human life is sacred and all forms and means of human rights violations should be condemned.
The cardinal said the public should also denounce the rising rates of abortion, unfair labor practices, and food waste, which he described as ” a crime against human dignity”.
“Buhay ng kahit sino, hindi lamang buhay na gusto nating protektahan…Basta taong may buhay kahit sino pa siya, ang buhay na yun ay sagrado. Alam ko na ngayon na ang malaking usapin ay ang nagiging mga pagpatay, pero kahit nga guilty man o hindi guilty, ang buhay ay dapat alagaan at igalang,” Tagle asserted.
(Life of anyone, not only those we want to protect…Anyone who is living, not matter who he or she is, that life is sacred. I understand that there is a big discussion on the killings, but even if they are guilty or not, human life should be respected and valued.)
READ: Church: Thou shall not kill
Likewise, Tagle urged the Filipino people to value and defend human life and not to be “selective” in upholding it.
“Be consistent to promote whole or integral life, let us not be selective. Bantayan natin ang abortion, ang mga batang hindi pa naisisilang ay walang kalaban- laban. Ang pagtitinda ng bawal na gamot [at] ang pagtulak sa mga kabataan sa bisyo – ‘Yan ay isang uri din ng pagpatay ng kanilang pangarap, kaisipan, pagpatay ng kanilang magagandang pakikisama sa pamilya,” he said.
(Be consistent in promoting whole or integral life, let us not be selective. Let us be vigilant about abortion, children who are still in their mother’s womb are helpless. The proliferation and selling of drugs and and encouraging the youth to engage in vices — that is also a way of killing their dreams, their sanity, and their good relationship with their families.)
The upsurge of casualties in President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs earned the indignation of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines and members of the clergy. As a response, they called on Duterte to “respect the rule of law” and allow drug suspects to change their lives for the better. KS/rga
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