UCCP Council of Bishops

Statement on Red-tagging of Bishop Hamuel G. Tequis, 

Bishop Reuel Norman O. Marigza, Rev. Irma Balaba, et al.

 

 WHOEVER MAKES A PRACTICE OF SINNING IS OF THE DEVIL . . .

The  COUNCIL OF BISHOPS of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines strongly abhors the most recent spiteful tagging of our fellow Bishop and Council of Bishops member, Bishop Hamuel G. Tequis of UCCP-Southeast Mindanao Jurisdictional Area (SEMJA) as a CPP member as contained in a propaganda poster posted near the building of Sta. Ana Catholic Church in Davao City, seen early morning, August 13, 2020 by concerned witnesses. Copies of the same poster are placed in electrical poles near the same area in Davao City. 

 

In the same vein, recently, Bishop Reuel Norman O. Marigza, UCCP Bishop Emeritus and incumbent general secretary of the National Council of Churches (NCCP) has been maliciously red tagged as communist by the Facebook troll page “Timek ti Cagayan for speaking up against the Anti-Terrorism Law. Similarly, on July 24, Rev. Irma Balaba, UCCP church worker of United Metropolis Conference was tagged as surrendered member of the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army (CPP-NPA). Without consent, her picture was posted on the Facebook page of the Southern Luzon Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

 

This persecution of the Church does not exempt the laity members such as Karlo Manano, son of Rev. Isaias Manano, Sr. retired pastor of Oriental Mindoro Conference, who was implicated as member of the CPP-NPA. There are several others and some were served warrant of arrest and have been jailed for trump-up criminal charges hurled on them, on which the Church through the Council of Bishops has spoken on their defense in assertion of prophetic witness. 

 

This is obviously a handiwork of those who aim at besmirching the reputation and integrity of peace and justice advocates as well as those in the religious sector who are engaged in the work of peacemaking and human rights. Acts like this warrant our stoutest denunciation as it denigrates our faith conviction and tramples on our fundamental right to express our Christian calling of serving the least of our people.

 

We call on those responsible to STOP HARASSING OUR PROPHETS! STOP SPREADING LIES AGAINST RIGHTS DEFENDERS!

 

Words of caution from the Bible as declared in 1 John 3: 8 ESV,

 

“Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”

 

UCCP COUNCIL OF BISHOPS

August 13, 2020