“Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” (Proverbs 31: 25-26)
When church leaders challenged the constitutionality of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, they hoped to stop the sinister hand of militarists, who would take advantage of the law to attack civil society leaders, social activists, and even those pushed toward civil unrest. The vague and overbroad definition of terrorism is prone to abuse.
Dr. Naty Castro is not a terrorist. She is a lauded graduate of St. Scholastica’s College who went on to earn her medical degree and provide development services with poor communities in Mindanao. Castro is an example of someone who understood journeying with farmers and indigenous peoples at the margins of society and put this understanding into service and action.
Her arbitrary designation as a “terrorist individual” exposes the rotten core of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020. Not only has Castro been denied due process, but even we, the concerned public, are not able to weigh and measure any alleged evidence against her. Like graffiti on the wall, we are supposed to simply believe what the Anti-Terrorism Council scribbles? We do not!
With sober hearts, we acknowledge that widespread poverty, landlessness, inadequate access to resources, and other injustices billow through this nation, stirring the fires of social unrest. Our context of strife calls us as Christians to engage in ministries with the poor, oppressed, and exploited. Castro’s ministries with the farmers and indigenous peoples of Mindanao have been responding to their needs and helping them to organize their communities toward their own welfare, their democratic participation in their own development, and the exercise of their right to self-determination.
Not only do we denounce the Anti-Terrorism Council for this sinister plot to undermine the reputation of Castro, but we also sound the alarm that Castro’s designation as a terrorist is an unscrupulous threat to her life and liberty.
What are Castro’s so-called “terroristic” acts? She feeds the hungry, gives the thirsty something to drink, clothes the needy, ministers to the sick, and visits the prisoners. Since Castro has offered her life in service with the least among us, she will be welcomed by God and inherit God’s kingdom. (Matthew 25:36)
The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 is a clear and present danger to civil liberties in the Philippines. Remove Castro’s designation as a “terrorist individual” immediately!
Activism is not terrorism and serving the poor is not a crime, it’s a Christian imperative.
Most Rev. Gerardo Alminaza, D.D., Diocese of San Carlos, Roman Catholic Church;
Most Revd. Rhee M. Timbang, Iglesia Filipina Independiente;
Minnie Ann Mata-Calub, National Council of Churches in the Philippines;
Sister Rowena Pineda,
Sisters Association of Mindanao;
Sister Ma. Lisa Ruedas, DC,
Daughters of Charity, Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation;
Rev. Dr. Federico Villanueva,
Faith and Bayan;
Sister Rosalind Tanhueco, OSB,
Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation