PRO-7 chaplain to talk to priest critic in hiding

DIRECTOR Debold Sinas of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) will send the PRO-7 chaplain to talk to Fr. Amado Picardal, a Redemptorist priest who claimed to be a target of assailants for criticizing President Duterte’s war on drugs.

Sinas said he was hoping that Picardal would communicate with PRO-7 so they could do something to protect the priest.

“Ang kinahanglan namo mag-cooperate unta siya. Hopefully mag-positive ni. (What we need is his cooperation. We hope for that the result of this would be positive),” Sinas said.

Sinas said that sending the chaplain would also be a sign of respect to Picardal who had been in hiding since he feared of his life.

“Basin dili siya ganahan sa amoa mao na nga pari lang ako ipadala. (Maybe he doesn’t want us that’s why a sent a priest instead.) Then if he is willing to discuss, we will discuss,” Sinas said.

Picardal announced on Sunday, August 26, that he had gone into a “more secure” place after unidentified motorcycle-riding men had reportedly inquired about his whereabouts at the Redemptorist Monastery in Cebu City.

“Whatever happens to me — whether the order came from him (President Duterte) 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,” Picardal posted on his blog last Sunday.

Picardal used to speak for the Coalition Against Summary Execution, which tracked the extrajudicial killings in Davao City assisting the Commission on Human Rights in the investigation of the slayings.

Picardal also published a report on the killings allegedly carried out by the Davao death squad from 1998 to 2015, which was used as a support for the complaint filed against President Duterte and 11 of his officials in the International Criminal Court.

Recently, Malacañang encouraged Picardal to file a writ of amparo instead of simply declaring that his life is in danger.

The petition for a writ of amparo is a remedy available to any person whose right to life, liberty and security is violated or threatened with violation by a private individual or entity.

The writ also covers extralegal killings and enforced disappearances.

“His remedy is to file a writ for amparo with the Supreme Court or any court. It can be filed even in the lower courts and it will be acted upon expeditiously,” said Presidential Spokesperson, Harry Roque said in a Palace briefing as reported by Inquirer./USJ-R Intern Delta Dyrecka Letigio