DAVAO CITY (mindanaotoday.com) A pastor of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) was shot dead on May 9 in Oroquieta City, his colleagues said on Thursday. The pastors wife was injured in the attack, which was denounced by human-rights and religious groups, who said it was another testament to what they called the growing culture of impunity in the Philippines.
The Reverend Jemias Tinambacan of UCCP in Calaran, Misamis Occidental, was traveling with his wife, the Reverend Marilou Tinambacan, in Oroquieta City when they were shot by unidentified men late afternoon on Tuesday.
The church-based group Promotion of Church Peoples Response said in a statement Thursday that Rev. Jemias was the 15th clergy and lay church members murdered under the Arroyo administration. Twelve out of the 15 victims were members of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), it said.
Four armed men riding in two motorcycles fired at the vehicle of the couple. Rev. Jemias sustained fatal wounds in the head, while Rev. Marilou survived the attack by feigning death upon hearing one of the attackers shout The woman is still alive, lets finish her off!
