DAVAO CITY — A church group has condemned the alleged military harassment against one of its members who are active in community and interfaith program.
Fr. Rex Reyes, general secretary of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, said in a statement to the press that on Sunday morning one of the staff members and his family was taking breakfast when two men claiming to be members of the military appeared.
The incident, Reyes said, happened at around 8:00 am when Mervin H. Toquero, acting program secretary of the NCCP’s Program Unit on Faith, Witness and Service, and his wife, Raquel L. Toquero, national organizer of Courage, were having breakfast with their three children at their home in Cavite. The family was reportedly getting ready to attend Sunday church service, when they heard somebody calling from outside.
Mervin went to see who was calling and he saw two men at their kitchen door. When he asked who they were and what their purpose was, one of the two persons told him that they were soldiers and that they wanted to talk to Raquel.
Mervin asked for their identification and their mission order but they refused to present any.
One of the two men said he wanted to talk to Raquel for he “know what she has been doing” and that they “want to help her”.
Mervin insisted that they talk properly in the veranda and that they should show their proper documents. The men handed them a paper with the name Delia and a cellphone number written on it before they left.
The incident threatened the family.
“We condemn this act of harassment that is obviously part of the government’s national security policy,” Reyes said.
Reyes said they would launch an international campaign to highlight this case.
“Our Constitution guarantees the freedom to organize and form unions and air their collective grievances. People who work for human rights contribute a great deal for a country to have a vibrant democracy,” said Reyes. (davaotoday.com)
