THE Redemptorists have condemned the “malicious tagging” of its missionaries in Northern Luzon as communist supporters—calling on government agencies, especially the Commission on Human Rights, to conduct a “thorough investigation of this unlawful and unjust act.”
In a statement, Fr. Victorino A. Cueto, superior of the congregation’s Vice-Province of Manila, said it is “truly sad” that the mission engagements of its Redemptorist Laoag Mission Community led to its members being red-tagged.
“In conscience, this unfounded accusation must be vehemently denounced,” Cueto said.
“They are not communists or even their supporters. They are Redemptorists, who follow the missionary vocation to serve the poor and most abandoned,” he said.
The priest’s reaction came after a tarpaulin red-tagging the Redemptorists was placed outside their compound in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, on July 22.
He said such action is an “assault to human liberty” and poses a threat not only to the missionaries but also to their mission partners.
“This kind of action that has been happening in many parts of the country, causing harm to individual groups, is not acceptable,” Cueto said.
The Redemptorists based in Laoag City has been actively assisting the local Church and nearby dioceses in providing faith formation and establishing new parishes in the past 15 years.
The religious community has also been helping different sectors in need, including students through college scholarships, farmers, workers and indigenous peoples, and extending relief and rehabilitation efforts during calamities.
For its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Redemptorists had organized mobile kitchens to share food and medical supplies to frontliners and distributed food packs to people “struggling with the effects of the [community] lockdowns.”
“As one Redemptorist family, we stand together! We will not cower in fear. We remain unshaken. We will continue to partake in God’s mission of witnessing to the Good News,” Cueto said. CBCP News