A Catholic bishop on Saturday condemned the killing of a social action worker in the Diocese of Kidapawan, North Cotabato, claiming the church worker was a victim of extrajudicial killings or EJK.
Kidapawan Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo identified the victim as Wilerma Agorde, project coordinator of the agrarian reform of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines-National Secretariat for Social Action (CBCP-Nassa).
Bishop Bagaforo expressed alarm that even a Church worker who has been working for the poor fell victim to ''extrajudicial killings.''
“We condemn the many extrajudicial killings happening today which have become so common,” Bagaforo said, who added that Agorde’s murder is now causing fear and insecurity among civilians particularly among the human rights and peace advocates in the area.
The 64-year-old church worker was stabbed and gunned down in the presence of his grandchildren by unidentified assailants in Brgy. Illustre, President Roxas, North Cotabato last Feb. 19.
Agorde has been at the forefront of a campaign with his fellow farmers who have been struggling for decades for ownership of the unused agricultural land-reservation in Arakan town.
A 5,000-hectare property is owned by University of Southern Mindanao but the 1,000-hectare portion was allocated to the Cotabato Foundation College of Science and Technology.
According to CBCP-Nassa, the disputed land had been occupied by the farmers for several decades.
“However, the killing of Ka Wiling is interpreted by the community as a way to silence the leaders in defending their land rights,” it said.
Church leaders are appealing to the authorities to stop the escalation of killings among farmers and their leaders.
“Other farmer leaders in Arakan are now in hiding for fear of their lives” the CBCP-Nassa said.
Agorde was also known as a long time church worker in various ministries. He was a lector, Basic Ecclesial Community Coordinator, and coordinator of the Justice and Peace Integrity of Creation Program.
He was also a member of the Arakan parish team since the time of Italian priest Father Fausto Tentorio who was brutally killed in 2011 and whose case remains unsolved until now.
