Church leaders tell PNP: Stop theatrics, just follow the law
February 8, 2018 · By Roy Lagarde for cbcpnews.net
CBCP Vice President and Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David (left) and other new CBCP officials take their oath during the opening Mass of their plenary assembly at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, Jan. 27. 2018. ROY LAGARDE
Catholic officials made a clarion call to the police to do away with and “theatrics” and “exaggeration” and rather focus on addressing alleged abuses in its anti-drug campaign.
Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan said the Philippine National Police needs to do more to resolve cases of extrajudicial killings.
“They need not exaggerate it. We’re just asking them to abide by our laws,” David, who is also the Vice President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said.
“Resolving the countless ‘deaths under investigation’ might be more necessary than providing bodycams in a relaunched ‘Tokhang’,” said David.
Cops who conduct the government’s anti-drug campaign will be clutching Bible and rosaries, the Eastern Police District said.
Authorities are hoping bringing religious items would help anti-drug operatives to convince drug suspects to surrender peacefully.
Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive secretary of the bishops’ Committee on Public Affairs, also called on the PNP to focus on issues that matter most to the public.
“Bringing those religious items during police operations is good only for theatrics. They are not essentially necessary,” he said.
The priest urged the law enforcers to strictly adhere to standard police operation guidelines with or without religious items at hand.
“Let the police do their jobs with high regard for standard procedures and the legal rights of suspects,” said Secillano.
CBCPNews
