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Hindi natatakot tumestigo sa International Criminal Court (ICC) ang ‘Biking Priest’ na si Fr. Amado Picardal,CSsR, na kilalang kritiko ng Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte.
Ito ay kung maisulong ang mga isinampang reklamo laban kay Pangulong Duterte sa ICC hinggil sa mga pagpaslang hindi lamang sa Davao City kundi sa panibagong reklamo ng mga extra-judicial killing sa ‘War on drugs’ ng Administrasyon.
Sa kabila nito, tumanggi naman ang Pari na maging testigo sakaling magsagawa rin ng hiwalay na imbestigasyon ang Senado sa mga kaso ng EJK sa bansa.
“ICC yes. Senate no. it is useless,” ang maikling mensahe ng pari na tumanggi na ring makapanayam dahil sa panganib sa kanyang buhay.
Naunang inihayag ni Father Picardal na kabilang siya sa death list ng Davao Death Squad o‘DDS’.
Sa mensaheng ipinadala sa Radio Veritas, inihayag ng pari na minamanmanan siya ng mga hindi kilalang suspek na naka-motorsiklo sa Redemptorist church at kumbento sa Cebu City kung saan siya karaniwang nagpupunta.
“Evading the Death Squad”
Fr. Amado L. Picardal, CSsR
Assassination!
Two weeks ago (August 11), I almost became a victim of extrajudicial killing and the 4th priest to be killed under the Duterte Regime had I stuck to my routine.
On the evening of August 11, the security guard informed me that there were six men on three motorbikes with full-faced helmets near the entrance of the monastery and the church between 5 pm to 6 pm that afternoon. That was usually the time I would go out to the supermarket and the coffee shop. I immediately concluded that they were the death squad and I was the target. Had I gone out, there would have been no escape for me. I recognized their modus operandi – that’s what I learned from a former member of the Davao Death Squad when we were documenting the extrajudicial killings years before. It was a close call. I thank God for protecting me.I am not out of danger yet. They are determined to complete their “project”, otherwise, they won’t be paid.
Fr. Amado “Picx” Picardal, CSsR
Why I am targeted by a death squad?
Why am I being targeted by the death squad? Who is behind this “project”? The only explanation is because: I preached and wrote against the extrajudicial killings for the last 20 years since I was assigned in Davao and up to now. I was the spokesperson of the Coalition Against Summary Execution which monitored these killings and assisted the Commission on Human Rights (headed by Leila De lima) and the Human Rights Watch to investigate the killings. I also posted the Collated Report of these killings carried out by the Davao Death Squad (1998-2015) which was included in the complaint submitted to the International Criminal Court by Atty. Jude Sabio. I also helped provide sanctuary to former members of the DDS who will be the witnesses in the ICC case. I was one of the convenors of the Network Against Killings in the PhiIippines. I granted interviews to the media – both local and foreign. I have also gone around the country and in the US to give talks on EJK and the Church’s response. The media labeled me as one of the fiercest critic of the president but all I intended to do is to be a conscience of society. So, I am not surprised that the president is mad at me. Many years before, when I was in Davao, someone warned me that I should be careful because the mayor was angry at me. He lambasted me three times in his TV program “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa.” I was confident at that time that he wouldn’t order the DDS to kill a priest – after all I am not a drug addict or pusher.
Fr. Amado“Picx” Picardal, CSsR
Has President Duterte ordered my hit?
Has President Duterte finally ordered my hit? Or is it just some zealous henchman trying to please him? My source informed me that that the order came from Malacanang. But I cannot confirm it. I do not have the complete answer. All I know is that there is a death squad determined to kill me. Whatever happens to me – whether the order came from him or not — the blame will be placed on him for under his regime the culture of death has claimed the lives of over 25,000 people. This regime has nothing to gain in creating a martyr, so those behind the project should think twice before carrying out their evil plan.
Fr. Amado“Picx” Picardal, CSsR
Pray for our country and my safety.
I always knew that my life would be at risk and I have accepted this as a consequence of fulfilling my prophetic mission. I am not afraid of death. I am ready to accept martyrdom if they catch up with me, but I do not seek it nor do I make myself an easy target. Thus, I have decided to temporarily vacate my hermitage up in the mountain and continue to spend my life of silence, solitude, prayer and writing in a more secure location. I will continue to speak out against evil in society through my writings and will fast and pray that the Lord will deliver us for evil. Meanwhile, I ask my friends to pray for our country and to pray for my safety. Someday, I hope I will be able to go back to my sacred space in the mountain of Busay where I intend to spend the remaining years of my life as a hermit.
Fr. Amado“Picx” Picardal, CSsR
Una na ring pinili ni FR. Picardal ang pamumuhay bilang ‘ermitanyo’ matapos ang kanyang ika-75 kaarawan.
Si Fr. Picardal ay ang dating executive secretary ng Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Committee on Basic Ecclesial Communities.
Noong nakalipas na taon, isinampa ni Atty. Jude Jose Sabio ang reklamo sa International Court at ngayong buwan ng Setyembre inaasahang bubuksan ng ICC ng imbestigasyon kung makakakita ng ‘Reasonable Basis’ ang hukuman sa isinampang reklamo.
Pebrero nang unang isagawa ang preliminary investigation na bibilang ng anim na buwan bago ang ‘Indictment’ proceedings.
Si Atty. Sabio ay naging abogado ni Edgar Matobato ang ‘Self Confessed’ member ng Davao Death Squad.
Tiniyak ni Atty. Sabio na hindi apektado ng withdrawal ng Pilipinas ang kasong inihain sa ICC laban sa pangulong Duterte.
“Una, malinaw ang Rome Statute na hindi ‘Retro-Active’ ang withdrawal. Ang ibig sabihin niyan kahit na i-withdraw hindi maapektuhan ang ICC. Lalu na situation natin na, ‘yung aking isinumite, matagal nang naisumite bago pa ang withdrawal. So malinaw na hindi na maapektuhan ang authority ng ICC,” paliwanag ni Atty. Sabio sa panayam ng Veritas Pilipinas.
Nilinaw naman ni Atty. Sabio na hindi ito nangangahulugan na hindi na saklaw ng international court ang Pangulo lalu’t nauna nang isampa ang kaso bago pa man ang ‘Withdrawal’.
Habang si Fr. Picardal ay una na ring nagsagawa ng sariling imbestigasyon hinggil sa mga paglabag sa karapatang pantao ng Pangulong Duterte noong siya ay alkalde ng Davao City.
Ngayong Agosto, muling nagsumite ng reklamong ‘Crime Against Humanity’ laban sa Pangulo sa ICC ang grupong Rise Up for Life and Rights.
Sa pinakahuling tala higit sa 20,000 katao na ang napapatay dulot ng kampanya kontra droga. Kabilang sa 50-pages complaint ang testimonya ng anim na mga kaanak ng mga nasabing biktima ng ‘Drug war’ ng Gobyerno.(
