In its Nov. 4 statement of concern, the National Christian Council in Japan (NCCJ) condemned the spate of “political killings” in the Philippines which has victimized church leaders, trade union leaders, human rights defenders and members of progressive organizations.

The NCCJ expressed concern on the alleged participation of the police, military and civilian militias “mobilized to make way for industrial and real estate development projects against the interests of the people and the environment.” The concern has deepened, the statement said, because the “Philippine government appears to proactively sanction extrajudicial killings and brutality by security forces in the name of the ‘war against terror’, in which victimization of civilians is only regarded as incidental or ‘bound to happen.’”

“As Japanese citizens, we feel compelled to register this concern with the government of the Philippines and Japan because Japan’s ODA [official development assistance] have been playing a major role for such development projects,” the statement said.

The NCCJ has been working with the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) for the last 20 years “to bring about reconciliation and peace through organizing mutual visitations and regular consultations.” In fact, NCCJ delegates to the Pastoral Ecumenical Delegation Visit organized by the World Council of Churches and the Christian Conference of Asia in July 2005 met the victims and their families and heard the testimonies firsthand. (Bulatlat.com)

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