Senator Risa Hontiveros on Friday, July 9 welcomed the election of Bishop Pablo Virgilio David as the new head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), saying his courage and compassion is necessary to fight the abuses and corruption in the government.
“I can attest to Bishop Ambo’s courage and compassion for the marginalized and oppressed, such as Kian delos Santos and the other victims of extrajudicial killings,” Hontiveros said in statement.
David has been known as one of the leading voices against President Duterte’s anti-drug campaign which has been marked with a series of killings of suspected drug suspects who allegedly fought back or “nanlaban” against police forces.
The prelate is set to take over from Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles who was more perceived by some as soft towards the Duterte administration’s policies.
David’s first high-profile case he encountered under his diocese—which covers Caloocan, Malabon and Navotas—was the killing of 17-year- old Delos Santos in 2017.
Hontiveros said she is certain that David’s strong advocacy for human rights, peace and the well-being of Filipinos “is much needed in these troubled times.”
“I pray that Bishop Ambo will be able to use his new position to lead his courageous brother Bishops and guide the Filipino faithful towards building a better nation and stopping the killings, the corruption, the abuses, and the injustices in our society today,” she said.