Sugar workers in Negros who are members of the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) said in a statement, Tuesday , March 14, that they stand by San Carlos Bishop Gerardo A. Alminaza as he faces “veiled threats and red-tagging” from Davao-based media outlet.
SMNI, owned by self-proclaimed “son of god” Apollo Quiboloy, called Alminaza “a mouthpiece of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)”, the NFSW said.
This came after the prelate’s statement condemning the illegal arrests, extrajudicial killings, and other rights violations under the previous Duterte administration, it said.
The NFSW said that such a statement should not be taken lightly, as red-tagging has often been a precedent to even worse attacks on its victims, like Zara Alvarez and lawyer Ben Ramos.
Red-tagging has also been used to justify the deaths of sugar workers in Negros, as they are paraded as “rebels” in fake encounters, it added.
They believe that the attacks on Alminaza only affirms his rightful stance on the worsening human rights violations in the country, in particular Negros Island, the NFSW said.
“State propagandists are aware that the bishop’s powerful words spoken from the pulpit reverberate throughout communities and serve to empower those on the brunt of state neglect and attacks,” it added.
Alminaza is a peace-advocate who rightfully sees that any meaningful strides toward peace must be based on social justice, the NFSW said.
“We enjoin all democratic forces to stand by Bishop Alminaza and to stop the attacks on people who speak the truth. Defending the oppressed from state-sponsored attacks is not terrorism. Like Bishop Alminaza, we must not waver in standing up for justice,” the NFSW added.*