Duterte’s attack on Bishop Pablo “Ambo” David is nothing but slanderous. It is vintage Duterte. He destroys the reputation of those who oppose him and those who fight for the victims of his rule. Bishop Ambo is his latest victim. Aside from tending to the relatives of EJK victims in his diocese, Bishop Ambo drew the ire of Duterte for his rebuke on the President’s latest attacks on the Catholic religion and the Church.
Bishop Ambo is one of the most respected figures in the Catholic Church. He is also a dutiful shepherd of his flock, doing all that is within his power to protect them amidst the murderous onslaught of Duterte’s drug war that has left a lot of children orphans. He has been successful in condemning the endless killings under Duterte, to the point that he has now become the newest target of Duterte’s intrigues, lies, and slanders.
As a Catholic, I am proud that there are leaders of the Catholic Church, like Bishop Ambo, who continue to have the courage and fortitude to defend the poor from the extra-judicial killings perpetrated by the government. It takes a different kind of courage to stand up against the powerful, and a psychotic tyrant at that, and to fight for the powerless. This is the kind of courage that continues to give hope to our people, and by doing so will deliver them from the evil that envelops the country.
We must all stand behind Bishop Ambo, and all Filipino men and women of courage who remain steadfast for all of us, bearing the hope that one day this darkness too shall end. ###