Palace to priests: Unfair to blame Duterte for threats

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte is not to blame for the death threats received by some Catholic priests despite his repeated insults at the religion a majority of Filipinos profess to embrace, presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said yesterday.

“There are many probabilities on the threats that the priests allegedly received, it could be coming from pranksters. It could be coming from anti-Duterte trolls. It could be coming from the enemies of the priests,” Panelo said, adding it was unfair to attribute the threats to the Chief Executive.

“So, we really do not know where they come from. And it is unfair to be pointing to the President as behind it, especially that he mentioned last month not to harm any priest or bishop,” he added.

At a press conference last Monday, Frs. Albert Alejo, Flavie Villanueva and Robert Reyes revealed getting death threats through text messages from unidentified people. They also revealed death threats on Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villages. Alejo said the threats appeared to be serious.

Sought for comment on the priests’ allegations, Panelo said he found it baffling that they would insinuate the President was behind the threats when only a handful “within their circles” knew their mobile numbers.

“Like us for instance, who knows our numbers? Those who are also within our circle. So, if somebody sends me a threat, it would just be those within my or your circle of friends,” Panelo said.

Asked if he could ask the President to tone down his rhetoric because many followers regard his statements as policies, Panelo reiterated that the Chief Executive had already made it clear he wouldn’t let anyone harm the clerics.

“He had strong words (to criminals) that they should not harm priests and bishops,” the presidential spokesman said.

Panelo claimed the President was not abusing his freedom of expression when he repeatedly criticizes the Catholic Church, the faith of more than 80 percent of Filipinos.

The spokesman also said Duterte should not be faulted for his style of delivering speeches, when asked about the President’s expletives directed at priests and other members of the Church.

“Let me be clear to all of you: it has been the President’s style ever since. And yet look at the survey, he’s earned the people’s acceptance,” Panelo said.

“People don’t believe him whenever he says something about killing. Like when he said ‘I will kill you,’ only to explain later that what he meant was ‘law enforcement will arrest you.’ He explained it,” he said.

Panelo again stressed that Duterte should not always be taken literally.

“In other words it’s his style, but it’s not exactly what he means – and the people know it. They just laugh, right? Critics are just using it to put him in a bad light,” he added.

He said Duterte’s anti-Catholic “outbursts” may have stemmed from his allegedly being a victim of abuse by a priest when he was a young student at a prestigious Catholic university in Davao.

“You cannot remove that from him, he had been a victim, so it’s natural for him to feel angry,” he said.

Like a clown

Reacting to Panelo’s downplaying the threats, Reyes said the presidential spokesman should stop acting like a clown and not treat death threats against priests and prelates as a joke.

“Panelo and this government should not take death threat as a joke because as I said, whatever Mr. Duterte says becomes a policy,” Reyes, parish priest of the San Isidro Labrador Parish in Quezon City, said.

“When he said kill the bishops, the priests… the problem is there is already a precedent – three priests have already been killed. That is not a joke,” he added.

Reyes said Panelo’s comment was insulting because it appeared that he was belittling the threats received by some Church officials, including him.

“Panelo’s remarks are very cheap, shallow and lacking in sincerity. We come out endangering our lives – that is not a joke. They should take the situation very seriously because both he and the President are mandated to serve the Filipino people to ensure the safety and prevent violence and untoward violation of the right to life. That is a very serious matter and Mr. Panelo should stop being a clown,” Reyes added.

He also appealed to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) that it take action on the threats made against members of the clergy.

“I hope that the permanent council (of the CBCP) consider how serious the situation has deteriorated,” Reyes added.

Otso Diretso opposition senatorial candidates also called on the administration to take threats against Catholic priests seriously.

“Stop the harassment. Stop the use of violence. Stop this tactic,” human rights lawyer Chel Diokno said.

“They are only speaking out against violence, injustice and the violation of human rights and human dignity. Why should they receive death threats for this?” Diokno said. “The government should take this matter seriously instead of simply dismissing it as pranks or propaganda.”

Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal also denounced the death threats against the clergymen.

“We call on President Duterte to stop fueling the fire of persecution against the Catholic Church and the men of God to put a stop to this culture of impunity,” he said.

Macalintal asked the administration to stop treating men of God as enemies, but instead as partners in the development of Filipinos as productive citizens of the country.

Marawi civic leader Samira Gutoc also urged Duterte to recant his statements that may be putting in danger the lives of the Catholic clergy. Duterte had called Catholic bishops “useless fools” who should be “killed.”

Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano said while it was not surprising for the administration to harass its critics, Catholic priests have done nothing to deserve such threats.

“The President’s words just become flesh whenever a priest is gunned down,” he said.

Detained Sen. Leila de Lima, meanwhile, also denounced the continuing threats on priests.

“It’s horrifying and it angers me that our priests and bishops are now being threatened. What kind of people are these who make threats against clergymen”?” the senator said in a statement.

She attributed the death threats to the “influence” of Duterte, whom she said has been putting “diabolical thoughts in the minds of the people.”– With Helen Flores, Paolo Romero, Evelyn Macairan