DPF unterstützt Protestbrief: Release of Bishop Carlo Morales and of Romel Salinas

Draft letter to President Duterte/Philippines

with copies to the Embassy of the Philippines and

to the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany

 

Mr. President,

with grave concern and dismay we, the undersigned organisations in Germany, learn from our partners in the Philippines, that Bishop Carlo Morales, IFI Bishop of Ozamiz, and Mr. Romel Salinas, NDFP Consultant and JASIG Card Holder, have been imprisoned since May 12, 2017, for allegedly possessing illegal firearms and a grenade, and still are imprisoned without valid charge.

From credible witnesses we know, that army and police separated the accused from their luggage and smuggled the incriminated arms into their belongings.

As you know, not only the clergy of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, but also the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, the Episcopal Church in the Philippines, the Ecumenical Bishops Forum, the National and Regional KARAPATAN, The UPLM, the NUPL, the Christian Conference of East Asia, the United Church in Canada, the Anglican Communion, the World Council of Churches and various other organisations requested the immediate release of Bishop Morales and Mr. Salinas.

We also request that you, Mr. President, who enchanted the citizens of the Philippines by promising serious peace negotiations with the NDFP/NPA, social reform, especially the long awaited land reform, environmental protection and true national sovereignty, enact what you promised. Bishop Morales and Mr. Salinas are well known as peace activists and honourable persons. They are well known as citizens who want to contribute their talents and gifts to the very visions you kindled.

We would not like to come to the conclusion that all your promises appear to be mere window dressing, leaving the vast majority of your citizens in the chaos of despotism, injustice, environmental destruction and poverty.

So we ask you with all emphasis to release Bishop Morales and Mr. Salinas, to bring the badly interrupted peace talks to a successful end and to implement the program of your election campaign.

The rule of law, in particular of the human rights corpora of the United Nations, ratified by the governments of the Philippines, are a very precious treasure of humankind. A president by definition is the first and supreme custodian of this treasure and not the supreme custodian of innocent imprisoned people.

We hope for an early positive answer and greet you with Amos 5, 24 and Psalm 72

Unterzeichnende bis 1.9.2017:

1. Father June Mark Yanez, Chaplain of the German Mission for Seamen

2. Rev. Paul Schneiss, Secretary of the German East Asia Mission

3. Prof. Dr. Franz Segbers, University of Marburg, Hon. Prof. in the Philippines,

Priest of the Alt-katholische Kirche in Deutschland

4. Dr. Rainer Werning, Social Scientist and Author, Germany

5. Weltgebetstag der Frauen – Deutsches Komitee e.V. (German Committee of the

Women’s World Day of Prayer)

6. Dr. Matthias Ring, Bishop of the Alt-katholische Kirche in Deutschland

7. Rt. Rev. Klaus Schneidewind, Chair of the Committee for Ecumenical Affairs in

the Koblenz Conference of the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland, Germany

8. Rev. Wilfried Neusel, Chair of the Philippine Working Group of the Koblenz

Conference of the Evangelical Church in the Rheinland, Germany

9. Rev. Dr. Wolfgang Gern, Office for Diaconia in the Evangelical Church of Hesse

and Nassau, Germany