Sugar workers in Negros, under the banner of National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW), stand by Most Rev. Gerardo Alminaza of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Carlos as he faces veiled threats and red-tagging from the Davao-based state propaganda mouth-piece SMNI, NFSW-Negros spokesperson Mario Tapi-on said in a press statement.
SMNI, owned by a self-proclaimed ‘son of god’ with a pending sex-trafficking case, Apollo Quiboloy, calls Alminaza “a mouthpiece of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).” This comes after the prelate’s statement condemning the illegal arrests, extrajudicial killings, and other rights violations under the previous Duterte administration, Tapi-on said.
NFSW asserts that such a statement should not be taken lightly, as red tagging has often been a precedent to even worse attacks on its victims, like in the cases of Zara Alvarez and lawyer Ben Ramos. Red-tagging has also been used to justify the deaths of sugar workers in Negros, as they are paraded as ‘rebels’ in fake encounters, he said.
“We believe that the attacks on Most Rev. Alminaza only affirms his rightful stance on the worsening human rights violations in the country, in particular Negros Island.” State propagandists are aware that the Bishop’s powerful words spoken from the pulpit reverberate throughout communities and serve to empower those on the brunt of state neglect and attacks, Tapi-on said.
“We have seen how Bishop Alminaza has been consistent in standing with the plight of Negros sugar workers and other oppressed sectors in the Island. As chair of the Church and Workers Solidarity (CWS), Bishop Alminaza has actively joined the calls of sugar workers in their plight for just wages and benefits, as well as spoken against sugar liberalization,” he said.
In July of 2019, after a spate of killings in Negros, Bishop made a pastoral appeal urging Catholic churches to sound their bells “until the killings stop”. This powerful gesture of solidarity embodies the Church as truly for the poor and the oppressed, Tapi-on said.
Bishop Alminaza has also encouraged those in positions of power to speak out to such atrocities as being silent is akin to being complicit to these crimes. Local officials and other Church leaders should follow his example and fearlessly call out the worsening rights situation in the country, especially now that another Marcos is at the helm of power, he said.
Bishop Alminaza is also a peace-advocate who rightfully sees that any meaningful strides toward peace must be based on social justice. Many times, he has echoed his support for the resumption of the GRP-NDFP peace talks to tackle substantial reforms that would address the roots of armed conflict, which includes landlessness, poverty, and lack of social services, Tapi-on said.
“We enjoin all democratic forces to stand by Bishop Alminaza and to stop the attacks on people who speak truth to power. Defending the oppressed from state-sponsored attacks is not terrorism. Like Bishop Alminaza, we must not waver in standing up for justice,” he added.*
