Three archbishops from Northern Luzon on Saturday, Sept. 11, reminded Filipinos of their moral duty to resist the culture of murder and plunder.
In a pastoral message signed by Nueva Segovia Archbishop Marlo Peralta, Lingayen Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, and Tuguegarao Archbishop Ricardo Baccay, the archbishops condemned the killing of over 30,000 Filipinos who have been killed in the campaign against illegal drugs for the past five years.
"It is like living in the valley of death -- killing of drug users and opponents; helpless death in the pandemic, death by governance without vision, death by shameless corruption that seems to break all records. Killings! Murders! Deaths!" the pastoral message read.
Archbishops Peralta, Villegas, and Baccay also denounced the killing of journalists, political opponents, court judges, and priests, and well as critics who have been threatened.
"The pandemic was a calamity of nature that we could not control. We saw death in our homes and offices. The heroic medical health workers risked their safety and some perished with their PPEs on. While other nations have risen from the pandemic, our death toll continues to rise," they added.
The archbishops decried the "ridiculous confusing quarantine classifications," which "slowly kill" the poor from joblessness.
"Bullets kill. Viruses kill. Governance without direction kills. Corruption kills. Trolls kill with fake news. Hunger kills. The poor pay for the corruption of the powerful. The nation is sinking in debt."
The archbishops called for a "non-violent resistance" and full investigation on "any whiff of corruption."
"We have a moral duty to resist and correct a culture of murder and plunder as much as the prolonged pattern of hiding or destroying the truth."
They also urged the youth and first-time voters to register.
The archbishops also appealed to reluctant candidates "to bring back ethics in our political life" and run according to conscience and not according to the surveys.