Church urges end to human rights violations in Philippines

By Kathy L. Gilbert*

FORT WORTH, Texas (UMNS)—The United Methodist Church has pledged to work to end the “unabated and egregious violations” of human rights in the Philippines that have resulted in 886 extrajudicial killings and 179 disappearances, including pastors and church workers.

The church singled out the Rev. Melchor Abesamis, Mamburao United Methodist Church, as one of the latest victims. Abesamis was arrested inside his parsonage on March 16 and charged with four counts of murder.

The Southwest Philippines Annual Conference released information saying that 10 men armed with high-caliber guns entered Abesamis’ home, handcuffed him in front of his wife, mother and children and took him from Mamburao to San Jose, a distance of 200 kilometers.

The annual conference, during its April 11-15 session in Odiongan, Romblon, condemned the arrest, saying Abesamis “enthusiastically and faithfully served the Lord, the church and the poor.”

Delegates to the denominational 2008 General Conference, meeting in Fort Worth for the church’s once-every-four-years legislative assembly, adopted two resolutions on April 30 dealing with human rights violations in the Philippines.

In a resolution submitted by the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, the church calls on the Philippine government to “immediately stop the killings and all other forms of human rights violations.” The resolution also calls for other governments, especially the United States, European Union, Association of Southeast Asian Nations and trading partners like Japan to look into the violations.

In another resolution, the United Methodist Division on Ministries with Young People, Board of Discipleship, pledged to “pray for the Filipinos as they disciple among their people and call them to fidelity to our Lord Jesus Christ’s imperatives for love, compassion, justice and peace.”

“We will pray and work with the United Methodist Youth and the Young Adult Fellowships in the Philippines in their ministries on this concern,” the resolution states.

Annual (regional) conferences in the United States have conducted fact-finding mission trips to the Philippines to meet with church leaders and church workers to learn first-hand about the human rights violations.

The resolution also asked the church to include young people on future fact-finding missions to the Philippines.

*Gilbert is a news writer for United Methodist News Service in Nashville, Tenn.