Human rights, indigenous rights and environmental integrity were the advocacies of Fr. Mark Ventura, a Catholic priest who was shot dead earlier this month while blessing children after Sunday mass. His death’s investigation is still pending, yet his activism against mining interests are a likely reason vested interests would want to off him.
I accompanied the contingency of Episcopal priests who traveled to Tuguegaerao to attend the ecumenical service the following Sunday. Speakers praised Fr. Ventura’s life work of attending to the most marginalized communities in the Cagayan Valley and advocating for their rights and wellbeing in the face of mining companies.
Fr. Ventura’s murder fits into a larger picture of targeting environmental and human rights activists. Four months prior, another activist Catholic priest was assassinated. Last year, a vocal bishop was detained as a political prisoner. The government released a list of 600 names of ‘suspected terrorists’ including NGO workers and even UN special rapporteur and human rights advocate, Vicki Tauli-Corpuz. On top of that, the number of extra-judicial killings under the Duterte administration has reached 14,000.
“This administration has gone on for too long allowing extra-judicial killings in the name of anti-drug and anti-terrorist activities,” one priest emphatically pronounced.
Referring to Fr. Ventura’s enemies, another clergy leader raised a good point: “if these people will kill an ordained servant in Christ’s church, then we can be certain they will not hesitate to disregard the rights of the most marginalized among us.”
Inspiring the packed room of family, friends and supporters of Fr. Ventura’s cause, Bishop Wandag of the Episcopal Diocese of Santiago remarked that although Fr. Mark Ventura was killed, his life’s work will not die. The people will not be deterred by intimidation and continue to advocate for community rights and wellbeing.
On the other hand, President Duterte, attempting to discredit the belief that this assassination is related to Fr. Ventura’s activism, has accused the priest of being a womanizer. He even presented a matrix of women he’s accusing the Catholic priest of sleeping with, although previous matrices of his have been found incorrect.
The community is still seeking justice for their beloved priest. Meanwhile, NGOs and communities are still organizing to continue Fr. Mark Ventura’s legacy, championing indigenous rights, sustaining creation and the wellbeing of communities over pollution-related profits.
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