Last Sunday, Father Amado Picardal narrated how he almost became a casualty of this government's extra judicial killing and the fourth priest to be murdered after the President launched his tirade against the Church. 

Father Picx was one of the talking heads of Artikulo Trese,a social movement organized by individuals and organizations from the religious, peasants, trade unions and education sectors before he went to retire as a hermit to the mountains. CARRD is an active member of Artikulo Trese. As an institution committed for decent life and work among the most marginalized segments of rural communities, we are alarmed by the increasing number of peasants killed in the guise of this government's war on drugs. We are also alarmed by the attacks made to defenders of human rights, previously perceived as neutral, helping individuals and therefore (almost) immune from impunity. We joined Artikulo Trese to call the government to put a stop to the spate of killings, which have already affected at least 20,000 families all over the country.

Now, one of the staunchest advocates of human rights and human life is in danger of being killed by zealots who thought that another EJK is not one too many. We condemn this, as much as we condemn the inefficiency of the system that has continuously failed to improve the living conditions of the poor, and provide those who work hard with the just fruits of their labor.   

Image screengrabbed from Inquirer.