24/09/2025
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
Statement of the South Central Luzon Bishops Conference on Mendiola Protesters and Police Brutality
โ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ค๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ด๐ช๐ญ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐บ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ข ๐ฑ๐ข๐ช๐ณ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ด๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ด. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ข๐ด ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ.โ (๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ด 2:6โ7)
We have witnessed young protesters in Mendiola rise on September 21 in the Trillion Peso March, standing against government corruption. Yet their acts of dissent were hastily branded as anarchism and criminal. As confrontations between protesters and police escalated, media reports documented the use of excessive force: more than 200 were arrested, nearly half of whom are minors, and many were brutally beaten. We lament that the courage of these young voices, calling for justice, was dismissed as mere lawlessness.
We understand that these young protesters embody a generation wearied by years of waiting, frustrated with promises that have not alleviated hunger and poverty. They took to the streets because they witness daily the violence of corruption, the injustice of poverty, and government failure to hold accountable those who exploit the poor. Their cries are not the noise of rioters, but the voices of Godโs โ๐ญ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ดโ(Matthew 18:6), calling for food, shelter, and work.
The real crime is not in protest but in plunder. To arrest protesters - and worse, to unleash violence against them - while protecting government officials who exploit public resources is to turn justice upside down. We refuse to dismiss their indignation as mere โrioting.โ Ignoring the root causes - greed, neglect, poverty, and inequality - gives the powerful license to wash their hands like Pilate, harden their hearts like Pharaoh, and excuse betrayal of public trust. It is not the poor rising against injustice who deserve condemnation, but the sins of corruption that bind them in chains.
Let us not fall into narratives that seek to divide and deceive. The red-tagging of human rights defenders, the harassment of paralegals and lawyers, the demonization of activists, and the brutal attacks on protesters in Mendiola are all part of the same โ๐บ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏโ (Isaiah 58:6). We must ask: why are those who serve the people, labor for social change, and demand accountability unjustly criminalized, while those who plunder public funds and betray the peopleโs trust remain unpunished?
We therefore call on the government: Stop criminalizing the people for demanding justice, and end the cycle of violence against them. Address instead the roots of unrest - poverty, hunger, and inequality - through meaningful reforms that serve the common good, strengthen social services, and ensure equitable opportunities for the marginalized. Serve the people with integrity and accountability.
As shepherds of the flock, we will steadfastly stand in solidarity with the oppressed, for in their hunger and anger, we hear the voice of the Lord calling us to justice. May Christ Jesus, our Lord, sustain us in the work of truth, and may Godโs Spirit breathe justice into our land.
In Christian service and solidarity,
The Rt. Rev. Rowel Arevalo
Chairperson
South Central Luzon Bishops Conference
Iglesia Filipina Independiente
September 23, 2025
