Bishops Urge President Bush to Press Philippines President to Curb Violence

WASHINGTON -- The president of The United Methodist Church’s Council of Bishops has urged U.S. President George W. Bush to press Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to take steps to reduce violence throughout the Southeast Asia country.

In her letter to President Bush on behalf of the Council, Bishops’ President Janice Riggle Huie of Houston cited the murder earlier this month of Isiais Sta Rosa, a United Methodist pastor. He was the 21st church worker killed in the Philippines since 2001.

“United Methodists in the Philippines and the United States are deeply troubled by the growing violence of the military under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,” Huie wrote President Bush, who is a United Methodist. “We ask you to communicate to President Macapagal-Arroyo our deepening concerns, concerns which we expect you in your office share.”

A high-level global delegation of United Methodists visited the Philippines on a fact-finding mission earlier this year and met with the Filipino president and urged her to take action then. Bishop Huie’s letter follows:

August 21, 2006

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

Dear President Bush:

One of our United Methodist local pastors, Isaias Sta. Rosa, was killed in the Philippines on August 3, 2006. Police said a soldier found dead next to the local pastor is believed to be one of the ten masked gunmen who forced their way into the pastor’s home, beat, and killed him. Sta. Rosa’s killing came after three activists were killed within a span of 24 hours in the same region and he is the twenty-first church worker killed since May 2001, nationwide.

A fact-finding delegation from the U.S. visited earlier this spring. During their visit with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the delegation urged her to direct the military to terminate violent activities against civilians. Three of our United Methodist bishops in the Philippines are currently conducting further investigation into Sta. Rosa’s death. In addition, the National Council of Churches in the Philippine is calling for a thorough inquiry by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Human Rights Council and other international courts of justice.

United Methodists in the Philippines and the United States are deeply troubled by the growing violence of the military under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. We ask you to communicate to President Macapagal our deepening concerns, concerns which we expect you in your office share.

Thank you for your assistance,


Janice Riggle Huie
Bishop


cc Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice